Hey guys! I hope everybody had a nice 4th of July weekend. We relaxed with family (my in-laws visited) and hung around the pool with some family friends, so all in all, we had a wonderful weekend.
I have been doing a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff on the blog, but I’ve kind of taken another mini break when it comes to posting. Again I didn’t want to miss out on my favorite day of posting, so here I am. This will probably be my last post before I officially launch the new site.
Last week I was listening to an episode of Gretchen Rubin’s “Happier” podcast where some of her listeners called in to share the best advice they’d received (as adults) from their parents.
A lot of the advice was useful, but one quote stood out to me in particular. It was simply “bloom where you are planted.”
I’m lucky that life has never truly thrown me far from the confines of my comfort zone. I say that I’m lucky because I’ve always had the support of family, the familiarity of a city I grew up in, and the knowledge that if something didn’t work out, I wouldn’t be left drifting away from shore without my proverbial life jacket.
In other ways, though, I’d say I’m unlucky or, more accurately, that I’ve shorted myself some opportunities. We grow from challenges, and we are able to learn about ourselves and discover tenacity and talents we never knew existed within us when we are faced with hardships or new experiences.
So, in that regard, I feel like I’ve missed out on some big chances for growth and discovery.
Nevertheless, I think it’s incredibly important to bloom where you are planted.
Sometimes life plants you thousands of miles from your family, and other times you remain part of the community garden of your youth.
The important thing is, in either situation, that you place your roots and find what makes you happy. That you allow yourself to grow into something beautiful and give back to the people in your life.
There is much negativity and sadness in the world, but on the other hand, there is much good. For a long time, I depended on my surroundings and circumstances to make me happy.
As you can imagine, that didn’t go too well. I was miserable and stuck in the comparison trap. I refused to take responsibility for my own actions and feelings and choices. I was bitter, and I certainly was not blooming.
So, I changed. It didn’t happen overnight, but I changed my outlook. I made the choice to bloom where I was planted. To make the best of what I had, to try and obtain or produce the things I needed, and to strengthen and nurture my better qualities.
I still struggle, but I’ve realized that a “woe is me” attitude brings not only myself down but others. When you bloom where you are planted, you make it easier for others to bloom as well.
I think all of us prefer vibrancy and life to decay and darkness, so remember to nurture yourself as well as others.
Bloom Where You Are Planted - advice learned from @GretchenRubin's #HappierPodcast Click To Tweet[linking up for thinking out loud]
So tell me…
- In what ways have you “bloomed where you were planted?”
- What is the best piece of advice you’ve received from a parent or somebody you respect/admire?
Beauty in Christ (@Emily11949309) says
Wow, I agree so much that mindset is everything. Learning to be content in the place that God has put me has been the most wonderful thing of my life, but I haven’t been this content for most of my life. I think I’m starting to realize, by God’s grace, that contentment is so much of a gift, and I often take it for granted that I can bloom right where I’m planted.
Catherine says
It’s such a simple concept – being content where we’ve been “placed” – but not easy in practice. That’s awesome you’re in such a good place now ❤️
Amanda @ .running with spoons. says
I still live in the city I was born in and I never went away for school or anything. On the one hand, I sometimes feel like I might have missed out on bigger opportunities and growth, but on the other hand, my family is everything to me and it’s hard to imagine being without them… especially now that my parents are getting older and we don’t have any other family on this side of the ocean. I’ve made the most of being here, and at the day, I can’t complain about the way life is going. I’m happy with it.
Catherine says
Ditto on being away from family! I’m very close to mine plus they’re a godsend when Bazooka is sick! 🙂
Lyss says
Love this post Catherine, and I totally agree with everything you said. At the beginning of college, it was hard for me to adjust and I kind of molded to what everyone else was doing. Towards the end of second semester, I learned to really bloom where I was planted: to find people like me, to be my own person, and to do things that really make me happy.
Catherine says
College is such a fantastic place for growth! I’m glad you’ve really started to “bloom” early on.
Ellie says
I love this quote! I think there is a stigma to service industry jobs. They don’t require a degree and don’t pay as well as a doctor or lawyer. However, working in the service industry has taught me SO MANY SKILLS and forced me to ACTUALLY LIVE MY LIFE and LEARN THINGS FOR MYSELF rather than relying on my parent’s dollar and then my husbands when I get married. There is nothing wrong with that either, but it is not for me. I moved out and was “planted” in a city where I had to work hard to make it work. I don’t think I’m done blooming, but I’ve tried my best to do what I can with what I’ve got.
Great post!!
Catherine says
I can honestly say the same about my job. It’s not service industry but it’s not in my degree field either. That’s awesome you’ve learned to be self-sufficient and have a positive outlook!
Melissa says
Oh how I can relate to this, especially in this crazy season of my life. I think after 4 big moves, I’ve finally realized that having a totally disordered and chaotic house with the moving process does NOT mean I’m a failure. Add to it having a mobile toddler who decided naps are for the birds the second we moved in, I haven’t gotten much done!
I’m a “doer” and also very social so when I can’t do when I want to do something and when I don’t know anyone, it’s been rough at times. I’ve definitely learned that I just have to do my best even if that means napless days at home and unpacking boxes until we move again 😉
Catherine says
Ugh, I know what you mean about being a “doer.” I often need reminders to just accept and enjoy “being” rather than doing.
You’ll get that house organized one day! 🙂
Brie @ A Slice of Brie says
I was really sick in my teen years and because of it, I always stuck close to home (ie. my parents and the city I grew up in). I didn’t go away to school (although that’s the norm here in Canada), and I didn’t backpack or travel the world. I did finally move away to a different city and have lived in different provinces, but sometimes I wish I had been able to do other things in my younger years. I have learned over the years though that family is incredibly important and I wish I could live in the same city as all of my immediate family. I’ve also learned that I can still be happy in my current home/city and I have the choice to be miserable about it or make the most of it. I love this quote you shared. Life is so short and tough at times, and being unhappy or uncomfortable is not a fun place to be.
Catherine says
Yeah, it’s awesome if you move away and have all these crazy experiences, but it can be equally great staying close to “home.” Staying close by for college wasn’t that out of the ordinary for a lot of my friends either. We just have to make sure we travel when our kids are grown 😉