I've been obsessed about painting flowers lately. I've always liked and appreciated flowers, but I like birds, butterflies, landscapes, horses, and on and on. I realized that it's not just because flowers are beautiful, but that there was something much more meaningful in what they represented. As I was reading a book by Aundi Kolber called "Try Softer" a little idea sparked for me. The book about learning ways to be easier on ourselves so we can enjoy life...well, I'm really not doing it justice. It's a really fantastic book on how to build a life that's expansive and one that we enjoy. It's based in neuroscience and psychology and is a fantastic read on how we're so conditioned to ignore the signs our bodies are trying to tell us when something just isn't right.
In the book, she often says the phrase 'the unfolding of a life' and all I could think about were the petals of a flower unfolding and the life taking the shape of a beautiful bloom. But, blooms fade and that made me kind of sad to think about a life once unfolded and in full bloom begin wilting and withering away.
I realized that our lives are very much like the cycle of flowers growing from a tiny seed into a beautiful bloom and then wilting away and giving way to a new seed...a new beginning that starts to take root and build into a brand new cycle of growth and blooms and then wilts again. But the arc of the cycle isn't necessarily from birth to death. I believe we have many cycles throughout our lives that mirror that of a flower, where we grow, bloom, wilt, drop a seed and start over again. And it's this little seed that embodies all of the possibilities ahead of us. It's strengthened from everything that came before it and if it's nurtured, will grow into a new chapter.
When we're in full bloom, we have the ability to inspire others, much like a flower pollinates another flower so there is the change and hope for yet a new cycle. When we radiate in our fullest selves, we can't help but shine that on anyone around us.
So, this got me thinking about all of the cycles of life I've lived. I've said many times that I reinvent myself every few years, but I used to think it was out of boredom. Now I think it might be because my bloom was fading and it was time to put down the seed and start new again...to let my growth from the prior seasons be the fuel for something new that brings new growth and possibilities. It's the only way I know to expand my life and live into my possibilities.
I'm feeling a sense of a new chapter coming, something yet unknown but exciting. I've been working hard to build my strength back in the past two years, after selling a business, starting a new one and pausing it because of the pandemic. But, the work is coming back to me in a new form with new ideas and new ways to bring my gifts to others. It's allowing me to grow into all I am and all I will be, but the wilting and letting go of the new seed is probably the hardest part. The fear of the unknown is there, but my faith keeps me strong. I recently heard that all people feel fear, but the successful ones don't let that fear stop them.
So, stop and ask yourself 'where am I in the cycle of a bloom?' Am I just beginning to sprout, am I a tight bud ready to bloom, am I in full bloom or has the wilting process begun? Will I allow myself to gracefully put down the next seed or will I fight to hang on to what I know? What's next for me? Can you sense it? Whatever it is or wherever you are in the cycle, know that it's unfolding exactly as planned and that your faith is strong enough to overcome the fear, but just let it unfold.
"You block your dream when you allow your fear to grow bigger than your faith."
~Mary Morrissey
