Bloom Where You Are Planted...

I like people who are problem solvers. It’s nice being around them. There's a sense of security, I think, and I like that feeling, that safe and secure feeling. It's also a happy feeling, perhaps even a feeling of love, and who doesn't like that feeling? 

I think I'm a problem solver, at least, I like to think that I am. I like figuring things out. In fact, I can't help it. I think it's part of my personality, part of who I am. I love that exciting moment, the AHA! moment, when you’ve been perplexed by something and you can't figure it out. Then, almost out of the blue, it hits you, and it all comes together. You realize you have it all figured out, and a big smile spreads across your face. I think that's one of the best feelings in the world. Tony Shalhoub proved this feeling repeatedly acting as Adrian Monk in the TV show, Monk. "Here’s what happened," Monk would say with a smile. 

There's always something to figure out. No matter what the circumstance is, there's always something to figure out. It's part of life, it's part of living. Some days, the circumstance is easier, some days, not. But, every day, whatever the circumstance is, it's gotta be figured out. 

This makes me think of a sunflower and how it blooms. But, not just how it blooms, where it blooms, as well. A sunflower blooms pretty much where it's planted. Sunflower seeds are problem solvers. They figure out what to do, and they do it. Then, they shine brightly, just like a warm smile.  I've seen it happen in my own back yard.

Every year, I plant sunflower seeds. They're seeds that I collected from last spring and summer's flowers. I have millions of sunflower seeds by the end of the summer, so I always have a new crop of the gorgeous, sunshiny flowers every year.

When my flowers all die back, I wait for the stalks to completely dry, then I cut them down. I meticulously cut each dried sunflower from the stalk, and on some stalks, that's a lot. I've had sunflower stalks with more than 20 flowers! So, as I collect the dried flowers, some seeds inadvertently fall in areas of the lawn or other parts of the garden. Come the following spring and summer, I have sunflowers growing exactly where I planted them, but also sometimes in the middle of the lawn, or mixed between tomatoes and cilantro, or even by the baby crape myrtle tree.

 

  

Sunflowers bloom where they are planted. They don't mind their circumstance. They figure out a way to make the ground work for what they need to do. They problem solve, and they sink their roots, stretch their stalks, and grow beautiful green leaves and amazing golden flowers. It's like there's nothing stopping them from being happy. They're secure in their circumstance because they figured out how to make it work. They bloom where they are planted.

 
I like thinking about this regarding sunflowers. I like watching them make the best of their worlds, and I try to apply their wisdom to my own life. Not every day is easy. Not every day is the same. Just like the soil under sunflower seeds, you just never know what you're gonna get. Perhaps Forrest Gump was also onto this idea with his box of chocolates. Talk about blooming where you are planted. Forrest Gump sure did! 

Remembering this can create so much joy in life. It's not simple, but it can happen. The problem solvers of the world know it. They're the ones we look to. They're the ones who bring us a sense of security and happiness. Perhaps even love.