The Place of Growth

The Place of Growth

Do you wish - you had been planted in rich fertile soil where there was abundant sunshine and rain and you were pampered and looked after, pruned and kept in shape, loved, appreciated and admired, given every opportunity to grow into your very best?

Do you wonder – what it would have been like if life had been easier, if you hadn’t found it so difficult to be the person you wanted to be, if you had only made better choices, if you’d had the strength to be different and follow your heart, if you hadn’t said and done all those things - or – if you had said and done all those things?

Do you blame – your circumstances, the unfairness of life, not being good enough and not having the opportunities you needed, or the confidence, the resources, the support?

Do you worry – that there is little money, your health may fail, you will have to go where you don’t want to go and do what you don’t want to do?

Do you imagine – that nobody cares, that you are alone, and you have no purpose?

Do you ask – what have I done to deserve this in my life, why are things so difficult, why is this happening to me?

I remember the times when I have asked those questions. Times when I felt there was no hope, no possibility of change. Where I felt there was nothing that I could do to alter my situation – there was no light or guidance - and I withdrew into my negative thinking!!

Then I came across the word Today – spelt with a capital T – and I realized that it doesn’t matter what has gone before, we have Today, the Eternal Now, to live our lives. Yesterday has gone and we have no control of our tomorrows and if we want change, it starts now. We need to let go of the past and stop worrying about the future. Life isn’t just happening to us, it is happening for us, to alert us to new truths and give us new opportunities.

Have you ever noticed a flower growing through a small crack in the pavement? The cement is thick and heavy and there is not much soil. People stand on the flower without even seeing it. It is not watered or fed, cared for or appreciated, BUT, its color is bright and its form is true. The flower is not deterred by any difficulties but has worked with them and found a way through to the light, to the place where it can blossom and be the beautiful flower that it was created to be.

Our hearts get broken, we are betrayed. Life is hard, we see no way. Can we learn from this frail little flower? Can we still grow? Can we still shine? Can we fulfill the perfectly shaped space and form given only to us, and honor the unique place and purpose that is ours alone?

We have the gift of life already lived, and experience and wisdom already gained. We have life and therefore new purpose in every new day. It is our choice to seek, find and fulfill that purpose. Everything is happening for us to discover more of who we are, who we really are so that we can “be” and live that life. Our thoughts, our bodies, our circumstances are all pointing us to a new place called Today, the Eternal Now. A place to be gentle with ourselves – no regrets, only new wisdom and experience. No excuses, only truth and reality – an infinite place of never-ending opportunities. A place of change. A place of newness and meaning in where we are right now.

Are you under the burden of concrete and weight? Alone in the dark not knowing what’s ahead? Waiting and hoping that life will improve? Nature can teach us and show us the way. Dig deep inside and see who you are. Reach for the Light and be true to yourself. Let yourself shine with the beauty you have. The world will be poorer if you stay underground.

Today is the day for you to begin.