Bloom
Purple crocuses have begun popping up in the yard. The branches of the lilac bushes are laden with buds. It has been raining for 24 hours straight, and signs of spring have sprung up all around us.
Bulbs that went in the ground last fall have begun announcing themselves. It will not be long before they are more than hopeful tips of green. Soon they will bloom…where they were planted.
This idea of blooming where we’re planted may seem counterintuitive in our consumptive, fast-paced culture. We have been trained to scan the horizon for the next big thing instead of focusing on what’s within our grasp.
To that way of thinking, it will always be that which is just beyond our reach that is destined to fulfill us. Unfortunately, this methodology brings no peace because there is always something more to reach for. What is the alternative? Blooming where we’re planted. Bringing our best self to the context of our present circumstances.
How does this idea help us find our bliss? It reminds us that bliss is not something you seek and find. Bliss is a result of perspective. Anyone with kids will tell you, the same creatures that bring you the purest joy in life, also bring you the most blinding frustration.
Blooming where we’re planted brings our happiness within our control. In the paraphrased words of Abraham Lincoln, people are about as happy as they choose to be. It is not the achievement of some distant goal or the appropriate behavior of those around us that determines our happiness, it is our perspective.
Accepting the moment as it is, we are planted. And when we turn our focus to the goodness in the moment and how we can contribute to it, regardless of circumstance, we bloom.
