From Seed to Bloom

I have always been sort of a freak of nature. From the time I was a young girl, catching caterpillars in glass jars, I would wait for them to cocoon themselves and transform into beautiful butterflies. I was never afraid of getting my hands dirty. I always had this deep curiosity and joy being in nature.

I recently rediscovered this love when I was faced with a challenge to my health forcing me to slow down. I could no longer train in the gym everyday, or go for my early runs. Light exercise even became a challenge for me. This was a really tough pill to swallow, I realized that this regimen for so long was my mental sanctuary from all the other stresses of my life. Given these new circumstances, I needed to find a new way to find that peace within my mind.

I started sitting outside early in the morning with the birds which soon turned into pulling weeds out of the unkept garden at my Mom's house. On June 29th I drove myself to Home Depot, bought some gardening gloves, and a bunch of seeds with no plan or idea as to what to do next. I got home, put my hands in the dirt and just played in nature like I once did as a young girl. I began to care for this small garden regularly, sitting with her and speaking to her kindly. Watering her, removing what no longer serves her and making sure she had everything she needed to grow.

Through all of the adversity I was facing day to day between work stress and my own health, this became my new sanctuary. In a few short weeks my labor of love began to pay off and sprouts began to emerge from the soil. I was overwhelmed with joy and so much emotion at the sight of this new life. Little did I know how symbolic this growth would be. As the weeks went on, the growth continued. During this time I traveled, I connected with new energy and I slowly began to release what was no longer serving me. At the same time, my seeds were growing at a rate that I've never seen before. By mid August, my crops were almost my height (5 foot 2 for reference) and I just couldn't fathom that level of growth in such a short period of time.

The more time I sat in my garden and connected with her, I felt as if I was looking at a live reflection of myself and my own growth. From 8/8 to now, I experienced a lot of change and growth. I slowed down, and poured into myself the same way in which I cared for her, my garden. Spending time in nature has dramatically transformed my life and has rewarded me in so many way. From the time I planted those little seeds to now, less than two months beautiful miracles occurred.

These past few weeks has been especially hard, a pivotal moment in my life. I have felt a sense of peace and trust in the universe guiding me, and nature has shown me in many ways that everything is working out the way its meant to. I have let go, and have allowed myself to be guided. On August 26th I walked outside to sit with my garden and to my surprise I was greeted by the first bloom of one of my many Sunflowers. This was validation for me that in nature as in life, we are all connected. These Sunflowers mean the world to me as I feel they are a direct correlation to my own personal growth and journey in this lifetime. Today, these flowers stand at almost 7 feet tall. My garden has equally poured back into me what i've poured into her. This was the most beautiful connection I have ever found in this lifetime, and it is one i will cherish for eternity.