We bloom when the conditions are right

Humans love schedules and agendas and timelines. We love knowing when things "should" happen and then judging ourselves and others when they don't happen at that time. We start when our children are in the womb, reading books like "What to Expect When You're Expecting." Then when our kids are born we immediately start measuring them against things we've read, things we've heard, and things other babies are doing. They should be eating solids by now...they should be crawling by now...they should be walking by now...and on and on. We don't stop after infancy either. Then it becomes they should be reading by now...they should be playing a sport/instrument/role...they should have their post-graduation life figured out...etc. And we definitely carry these made up timelines into adulthood as well. Then we panic when the milestones aren't hit at the "right" time. 

But here is what we learn from Nature: Flowers don't necessarily bloom at the time we expect; they bloom when the conditions are right for them to bloom. I have two so-called "Christmas" cacti that decided to bloom in mid-January, after two years of not blooming at all. I have spring roses that decided to bloom in winter because temps were in the 70s. And I am a woman in her late 40s who is only just now starting to feel truly aligned with her purpose after years of feeling like I was missing the mark.

Nature doesn't bother with what the calendar says or with what we imagine is the right time. Nature thrives when the conditions are right, and it adjusts to protect itself when the conditions aren't right. Humans would do well to take this lesson to heart. None of us--and none of our kids--are behind in this life. We are just where we are, waiting for the conditions to be right for us to bloom. 

But that doesn't mean we don't have to put in the work to be ready to bloom when the conditions are right. Maybe we need an extra season of dormancy. Maybe we need to take in more nutrients. Maybe we need to focus our energy on strengthening our roots, doing the work that no one sees. Maybe we just need to trust that blooming is still what we were made for and that it will happen. We need to stop judging ourselves and our kids so harshly and comparing ourselves and them to others. We just need to pay attention to the conditions in our own lives and bloom with boldness when the time is right. 

 Christmas cacti in mid-January

December roses