I love spring! I love all four seasons, really, but if I was forced to choose a favorite, it would be spring. There’s so much life all around! And it’s that time of year again when my peonies are in bud - about to explode into bold and frilly beauty! Seeing them this morning reminded me of something I wrote about my peonies last year. So, I thought I’d share it as my blog post for this week.
May 22, 2021
About three weeks ago, I was sitting on our front porch looking at all the flowers and trees growing on our property. Some of the flowers were transplants from one or two years ago from neighbors and friends. I was noticing that so many of them were doing far better this spring than they were doing last year at the same time. Last year, some of them barely grew let alone blossomed. The peonies, especially, had a difficult time last spring.
Transplanting a flower stresses the plant. It shocks the roots. The plant needs time to recover. Blossoming, while exactly what the plant is supposed to do, is also stressful. It requires a lot of the roots and leaves to feed the blossoms so that they bloom beautifully for us to enjoy.
Rather than push themselves beyond their limits last spring and force out what would have been a few scraggly blossoms, the plants took time to allow their roots to grow deeper, allowed their leaves to strengthen. They rested and recovered.
They knew it was healthier – essential for survival, essential to not just exist but to THRIVE – for them to take time to rest and recover. And then, when they were ready AND able, they did what they were designed to do.
This spring, they’re producing beautiful flowers.
I couldn’t help but see the parallel to the way we function also. We could – and often do - push ourselves beyond our limits. We could choose to keep moving, keep working, keep grinding away at whatever it is we think we need to accomplish. But when we do, we produce a few scraggly blossoms.
Or we can choose to listen to what we truly need. We can choose to rest and recover. And then, when we are both ready AND able, we can do what we were designed to do.
BLOOM, my friends!
But only when you are ready.
Please feel free to send me an email or schedule some one-on-one time with me. And consider subscribing to my blog, where I post lots of helpful suggestions on how you can begin (and continue) this journey of recovering your blueprint!
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