“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to BLOSSOM” …
I have always loved these words written by Anais Nin for BLOSSOMING into our full potential is for some of us is a very painful, messy and initially it can be a lonely experience. For once we allow or heart to commence BLOSSOMING it wont stop. Each season our heart will bud new growth and we will continue to grow and BLOSSOM individuating into more and more of our full and unique potential as the years pass. The challenging part of emotional growth is that we will find that we simply don’t fit anymore into the bud we used to live in. That bud may be a friendship, a career, a home, a marriage, country, a faith, a family script, or a lifestyle choice.
The question I have found I keep asking myself as I’ve committed to the journey of deliberately seeking self betterment in my life year in, year out so each season my heart is able to BLOSSOM is this …
“Can I bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray my own soul”?
For me the answer is no. I can and will no longer sell myself out, pretend, not back myself or be ashamed to be me, flaws and all.
This is a line “Can you bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul” is taken out of the passage called “The Invitation” written by Oriah Mountain Dreamer. If you haven’t read it do yourself a favour and Google it. It’s all about the courage it takes us all on our human journey to give our hearts permission to not only plant the seeds of our dreams, prune back and weed out unhealthy growth, but to unapologetically allow ourselves to BLOSSOM.
So if you are in the midst of giving yourself permission to plant your hearts dream seeds, or do some overdue weeding out of toxic lifestyle habits, pruning back your relationship circle, or … constructing some boundaries to protect the new buds preparing to BLOSSOM in your life I offer you this perspective to consider for comfort.
Emotional births are not much different to the physical birth of a baby. They are mostly inconvenient, painful, hijack our ego and make us focus on what really matters, demand that we use our breathing to move with the pain instead of against it, are bloody messy and not for the fainthearted. Anyone who did not understand what a birth was looking on for the first time would think it a violent act that would end in death. And BLOSSOMING kinda does. Once a woman births a child her maternal life bursts forth and she will never be the same as she was pre children again. Sometime BLOSSOMING into our full potential means nothing is ever as it was again. That can be both sad and wonderful at the same time. Grief and relief often visit us holding hands. Whilst BLOSSOMING the urge to both laugh and cry in a new and deeper way arises involuntarily.
As we birth our hearts new seeds of growth each season remembering that the process of breaking out of the bud, is like breaking out of the womb. It’s challenging but worth every ounce of inconvenience, awkwardness and pain.
Our hard and painful labours can be overwhelming in the midst of all that mess so self compassion is vital. May you and I give ourselves permission to enjoy, share and unapologetically laugh, love and cry out loud as we deliberately choose the beautiful life BLOSSOMING path of emotional growth.
Lotsa love Cynthia xxx
This Word Vitamin is an excerpt from my latest bookset “The Four Seasons of the Heart”. If you would like to order your own full set of Daily Word Vitamins one for each day of the year, in book form for yourself or as a gift for someone you care about just click on the SHOP tab and place your order. © Copyright 2016 Cynthia J. Morton Emotional Fitness™
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