Bloom Where You Are Planted

Spring is finally here and with the changing of the season it is a nice reminder from nature about the importance of seasons in life. When the seasons change I feel like Mother Nature gives us all a little reminder of some truths about life that tend to be easily forgotten. Reminders such as “there is a time and place for everything,” “dark times never last forever,” and “new growth takes time.” Taking these tips from the world around us, it can be helpful to reflect on the season of life that we find ourselves in. Often times people, including myself, want to strive to be in seasons filled with sun, warmth, perfect blue skies, and smiles all around. And when we do not find ourselves in this season, we can tend to feel like something is wrong with us, we are broken, and cannot figure out how to do life. But just like there is a purpose for Spring, there was also a purpose for Winter, much like there is a purpose for our dark filled days just as much as our days filled with sun. bloom

I tend to think of these dark filled days like seasons of soil. Soil is dark and dirty. Being in it can feel like uncertainty and loneliness. Yet seeds need a season of soil to grow. Seeds exist for the purpose to grow into something beyond what they are now. Seasons of soil, these dark lonely places, are seasons of growth, requiring from you to expand and move in ways that move you beyond what you are now. And that is not always comfortable. It can feel chaotic, stressful, and scary at times. Some times we fight it because we do not want to grow or change and then we often times feel stuck. bloom

Therefore, I propose, instead of fighting the season of soil that you may find yourself in throughout life, instead how can you get to a point of accepting the season of soil? You may not enjoy it, or even want it, but thankfully those things are not needed to be able to accept it. Accepting it would mean to acknowledge it as it is and not try to change it. I tend to notice that seasons of soil can be extended due to resistance of being in the season itself. If a seed resists being in soil, it remains a seed, and never gets to experience what it is like to grow and bloom. It is often times through the season of soil that we get to the season of sun. It also takes a seed some time to bloom. Seeds are not planted one day and the next are a flower. They take time and care to grow and without that, they remain a seed in soil.

Here are some questions to consider while thinking about the soil season you may find yourself in:

* What do you need to accept about the season that you are in to move through it instead of resist it?

* What resistance do you feel towards accepting this part of the season you are in?

* What fear about this season do you need to acknowledge?

* How can you give yourself care and patience to allow yourself the time you need to grow in this season?

And I will end this post with a fitting quote:

“For a seed to achieve its greatest expression, it must come completely undone. The shells cracks, its insides come out, and everything changes. For someone who doesn’t understand growth, it would look like complete destruction.”- Cynthia Occelli

Written by Malinda King, MA, LPC

Photo credit: pexels.com