Notice what takes its time in nature. This will not be the case for all things in nature, of course, but there are enough things to observe, notice, and consider what you can learn…even when it comes to flowers. Even though many flowers spring forth each year in yearly cycles or less, there are other flowers that take much longer, even decades.
This can be especially useful to remember when considering that stages of growth can coincide with stages of grief: like a seed nestled deep, breaking through layers of earth with quiet courage, in which you experience many of these different “stages” at once. When you start to wonder “how long,” it can feel extra heavy when you are in a field of other flowers blooming much more quickly than you.
If you find yourself in a place where you cannot help but notice the poppies or marigolds springing up around you, allow yourself to observe the magnolias, the tree peonies, and agaves, too. And even if you are only observing them from photographs or internet searches from afar, let them remind you of the beauty and fullness of life that still springs forth at a force at a slower pace. While this might not “fix” everything, you can allow these things to remind you of all that grows slowly, yet still mindfully and meaningfully, one day at a time.
-Morgan Harper Nichols
