Bloom Where You Are Planted
For far too long, I have been guilty of always looking ahead to something:
The next thing on my to do list
The upcoming event this weekend
The project next month
The trip next year….
You get the idea. Always looking ahead, rather than looking around. Some would say, I’m a planner, others would describe it as perpetual discontentment. If I am honest, there is shred of truth in both perspectives. But perhaps most accurate is I am an adventurous optimist with an insatiable curiosity. I want to live life to the fullest with no regrets and when looking ahead, there is always something more to experience!
But I have learned more recently that slowing down and looking around brings an even richer adventure. Blooming where we are planted means to be intentional about embracing the season you are in and resist the urge to look ahead. This is easiest to do when “everything is coming up roses” in our lives and we want to soak it in. However, slowing down is most difficult when we are in a challenging season. We just want to get through it and move on to happier times. But always looking ahead dulls our senses and lures us away from sharpening and enriching ourselves. Intentionally being present, even during hardship, is a gift. When the headwinds are strong, and the waves are crashing down around us, we can take a lesson from nature.
Looking back on this last year, we have never experienced such catastrophic events like a hurricane that destroyed everything in its path from the beaches of Florida to the Appalachian mountain towns of North Carolina; or tornados across the entire Midwest and South, leveling communities; or fires engulfing miles of beautiful California coastline - all leaving behind devastation and even death. We cannot replace the people lost, nor the communities, the way they were. These horrible moments remind us of how little control we have over life’s circumstances and how nature continues to rebuild. What matters most is how we choose to embrace these dark moments we are living with truth and allow it to shape us into who we are intended to be.
I was reminded of this recently while my husband and I were babysitting our 4 granddaughters, ages 8, 5, 3, and 1, while their parents were away. What was suppose to be a long weekend of giggles and sunshine and a few poopy diapers, turned into 3 days of fevers nausea, vomiting and diarrhea - for all 4 of them. There were sleepless nights with soiled bed linens, sofas, and rugs. Not exactly a hurricane, but an unpleasant perfect storm, and unexpected to say the least. I clearly had no control over my circumstances, and all I could do was let go and lean into the storm. That is when I found myself totally present, moment by moment, to the people around me. Though I wasn’t creating picture-perfect memories as planned, I found beauty - an inner joy through nursing to those who needed me. Just holding a sick child all day brought a deeper sense of purpose and fulfillment than what we had planned. Each day was slower and filled with uncertainty. There was only the hope for a better day tomorrow, and yet that was enough. Amidst the chaos, I found deeper connection and everlasting love with these little ones and their eternally grateful parents. I wouldn’t change a thing.
How to Bloom Where You Are Planted:
Look around more than you look ahead.
Embrace the storms when they come
Be present to those around you
Let go of control
Trust in the Truth that the current season is meant for you, not against you
Watch and receive the beauty that awaits you on the other side.
Be well,
❤️
Kelly