Flowers
There’s a MidCountry Bank that I drive by everyday on my commute to work. Right outside the bank and along the highway is a signboard that the bank changes weekly with “inspirational quotes.” Their quotes are mostly of the sappy variety (e.g., “Trust all joy,” “Hope can always cope,” blah blah sap sap whatever), and I don’t typically pay too much attention to them, but a few weeks ago the bank had a saying that actually got me thinking.
“Bloom where you’re planted”
Hm.
It’s a fitting precept considering many in my generation are so discontent with where they presently are and are so eager to get up and head for “better things.” They’re convinced that where they are isn’t where they’re meant to be, so they spend their time complaining about it and living in the future instead of the present.
Now, I’m not saying it’s bad to be ambitious. On the contrary, ambition is a good thing! It’s good to develop yourself and strive for better things. People (myself included) just need to also be content and appreciative of where they are right now. You see, when you’re constantly living in the future, you miss out on fully learning the lessons of the present. Ambition isn’t all about grasping the future; it’s also taking firm hold of your present and using that to drive your future. So don’t take your current situation for granted and don’t immediately assume that you’re done growing and therefore above your circumstances.
Bloom where you’re planted, yo.
A wise and awesome band once said, “[There's] nowhere you can be that isn’t where you’re meant to be (it’s eeaasyyyyy),” and I fully believe that. Wherever we are and whatever our circumstances are, I believe that there’s a reason for it. There’s always something to be learned, and no matter how small or mundane the situation might seem, it shapes our lives in one way or another whether the effects are seen immediately or much later down the road. Think about that. The situation you’re in right now might seem lame and pointless, but it will have an effect on your life. The effect might be big or it might be small, but either way you’re affected. So don’t be too eager to blow it off and move on because your circumstances might not be finished working in you. I think putting things in that perspective makes a person realize that while they might not be happy with where they currently are, what they’re going through is going to change them and bring them closer to where they want to be. That mentality makes it easier to be appreciative and thankful of a person’s current status.
So wherever it is that you’re planted, take advantage of it and appreciate it. Take the time to grow and flourish in your role, and soak in all the sunlight that your place in the flower pot allows. Then when you’ve fully bloomed and aren’t growing anymore, entice a bee to pollinate your seed so you can get planted and bloom somewhere else. Keep doing that until finally a botanist or a whimsical girl plucks you from the ground and presses, thus immortalizing, you between the pages of a heavy book.
Okay, so the analogy fails at a certain point, but you get the idea.
Bloom where you’re planted.
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I think I might continue writing on MidCountry Bank’s signs. They’ve had a few good sayings since “Bloom where you’re planted,” none of which I can remember now… I guess I can write about their current sign: “It’s Limb Loss Awareness Month!” Yeah, I can definitely squeeze an inspirational essay out of that.
Stay tuned!
