I’ve been thinking a lot about growth lately. My garden is filled with baby plants— tomatoes, peas, carrots— and my heart is filled with ambition. I would like to become an anti-racist, a thriving businesswoman, a homeowner. My plants and ambitions alike need my tender loving care, so we can bloom into a bountiful harvest and a joyful version of myself.
To be clear, I’m joyful now, in this moment. Joyful for the breeze through my bedroom window and the pink sunsets at night. Joyful for the conversations with my aunt and frequent love from my grandma.
But this moment isn’t meant to last. No moment ever is. We flow into the next moment, and the next, and we evolve into the next joyful version of ourselves, and the next, and the next.
Our authentic self is not a fixed state of being. It’s fluid and shifting. It’s listening to the ever-changing answers to the question, What does my heart desire right now?
And these desires require growth to bloom. And trust.
Growing.
Living things grow; if they’re not growing, something’s wrong. When plants lack nourishment, they wilt and wither, get all limp and droopy. You can tell something is wrong. They even look sad.
That’s how we get without nourishment. Listless and sad. Yes, we need our physical nourishment, but we must nourish our emotional, mental, and spiritual parts, too. We’re wonderfully complex beings with intricate needs.
Physical Nourishment
Vegetables. VEGETABLES! Please, for the love of all that’s green, eat more veggies. (And other foods that fill you with energy— no, my dear, sugar rushes do NOT count.)
Sleep. A LOT of sleep. Stop believing that five or six hours are enough. They’re not. Study upon study shows the negative impact of less than seven hours of sleep. Study upon study shows the benefits of getting enough sleep. Make it a priority.
Move. MOVE! Whatever feels good— dancing, biking, walking, kickboxing, relevés at a barre.
Emotional Nourishment
Love and connection and belonging. Spend time with friends and family who treat you like the incredibly valuable and priceless person you are, who offer support and encouragement, who make you feel safe and accepted.
Honor your emotions. And then release them. All of them. It doesn’t matter if you agree with your anger or not— feel it. And then let it go. After that, you are in a still and centered place to choose what you will do in response to that anger, if anything.
Mental Nourishment
Learn. LEARN. There are so many incredible teachers out there, sharing their ideas and wisdom through books, podcasts, videos, and events. What interests you? Learn about that.
New experiences. Ooh, this is a fun one for me— new experiences are so exciting! And they push you out of your comfort zone, expand your horizons and perspective, and build your confidence and problem-solving skills. So good.
Create. Creating is good for your brain. So paint away, invent new tunes on the guitar, write poetry, build a teleportation device (I recommend a refrigerator box.) Then use the teleportation device to travel to Tanzania with a kid and use your imagination to create an epic adventure.
Spiritual nourishment
See: Trusting (below)
Trusting.
Trust that your growth has purpose. Trust that you are meant to learn and stretch and open your eyes wide (and your heart and mind, too). It brings you somewhere. It brought you here, and it will carry you further… as far as you choose to go.
Trust that you are loved. Trust that something— angels, gods, goddesses, spirits, it doesn’t matter what— watches over you and cares deeply about your wellbeing. It is not a cold, uncaring, indifferent Universe. It is filled with wishes for your happiness and guidance if you ask. (If this is a stretch for you, at least trust in quantum physics— if you love yourself, then the Universe will send you love, too.)
Trust that no matter what, things will be okay. Maybe not in this moment, but soon. Trust that you can handle anything.
Trust that you are meant to enjoy your life and live abundantly. You deserve an abundance of love and laughter, comfort and contentment. These gifts are meant for everyone, and they’re here for you, too.
Trust that if you can be courageous enough to listen to your inner voice, then life will be filled with blessings and miracles. It will also contain challenges and failures, but these are your opportunities to grow— and those are blessings, too. (And believe it or not, they can also be exciting and fun.)
Trust in possibility. Your possibility. Trust in your power and value and worth. Trust in the incredible unique gift you have to offer the world.
Blooming.
Oh, you beautiful being. You glorious goddess full of magic and power. This is what I see when I look at you. You opened your heart and eyes and mind, gathered wisdom and experience. You trusted in your journey and honored your inner truth. And look at you now— radiant, shining. In full bloom.
It’s coming, my dear. It’s coming. Keep growing and trusting and growing some more. Keep uncovering your radiant truth and unapologetically choosing it again and again. Keep reminding yourself that you are strong and worthy and born to bloom.
You were born to bloom.
This is your story. Growing. Trusting. Blooming. But it doesn’t stop here, oh no. You keep growing, and you keep trusting, and you keep blooming, bigger and brighter and filling the world with your beauty again and again. (We are perennials.)
So how will you nourish your growth today? How will your trust show up in the world?
And how, with your wild and precious life, will you bloom? Because my oh my, it’s gonna be a sight to behold.
Hey there, fellow free spirit!
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