Tonight, the night before my daughter’s birthday, she chose a story from The Little Book of Hindu Deities.
Her choice: Saraswati.

I’ve always known Saraswati as the goddess of wisdom, music, and learning — but tonight, I learned something new. The story described how Saraswati once walked alongside Brahma, supporting creation, and then chose a different path. In some tellings, they “divorced” after disagreements and a lack of respect. Saraswati stepped fully into her own light, choosing enlightenment, creativity, and freedom.

As we read, we came to the part about Saraswati’s deep love for books. My daughter looked at me, I looked at her — and we both burst out laughing. She knows me well: if there’s a stack of books in the room, that’s where you’ll find me. In that moment, I couldn’t help but feel a connection — this goddess wasn’t just some faraway figure; she was a reflection of the things I value, too.

What resonated most, though, wasn’t just the books. It was the way Saraswati chose herself. She didn’t fight to change the tides. She didn’t cling to what no longer honored her. She simply stepped forward with dignity, boundaries intact, and allowed her creativity and peace to flourish.

In these myths, Saraswati is often shown seated upon a lotus — rising pure and radiant from murky waters. The lotus is more than a seat; it’s a lesson. No matter how cloudy the circumstances, beauty and growth are possible when roots are planted deep and nourished with intention.

That’s where boundaries come in.

Boundaries are like the mudbanks that hold the lotus pond. Without them, the waters spill everywhere, and the roots can’t take hold. It’s not always easy to hold those edges — especially when emotions pull at you and the people you love most test the limits. But the lotus reminds us: it’s within those banks that true beauty blooms.

Tonight was one of those moments. A special evening before a birthday, emotions high, schedules shifting. It would have been easier to let the boundaries slip “just this once.” But Saraswati’s story whispered otherwise: wisdom, respect, and peace grow in the space you protect.

Just like the lotus, we plant seeds today — in our choices, in the examples we set, in the boundaries we hold. These seeds take root quietly, beneath the surface, until one day they bloom in ways we couldn’t have imagined.

On the eve of my daughter’s birthday, I’m holding that image close: a lotus rising, Saraswati’s light glowing, and the reminder that every boundary lovingly held is another seed planted for a future in full bloom.