wildflowers.

The process of growing yourself is a daunting task. Full of beautiful realizations and painful pushing. I have heard this compared to a flower or a butterfly. I've read signs, cards, and viewed artwork regarding it. The stuff I've seen is inspirational it's about feeling buried but being planted. Another one is about how painful it is for a caterpillar to emerge as a butterfly. I have spent time watching other people on their growth path. They use a lot tools for this such as reading, listening to podcasts, doing research, filling out workbooks, and going to therapy. They recognize that growth is a continual process. I would agree. There is always something to learn or experience to challenge our perspectives.
The growth process, I always thought was about finding yourself. Maybe its more about noticing yourself. Noticing what makes you who you are and when you don't like what you see you make choices. You can decide to accept those ugly pieces of yourself or take the necessary steps to change. I think it's common to view older people in our lives as far less likely to change. But as I get older I don't think it's out of an inability to change, but more so about making peace with the ugly things we don't like.
There is something beautiful about getting older and viewing things with less weight in your life. It is easy to focus on mistakes or missteps in life. For me and my missteps, they were only a fraction of my life. The largest portion of my life has been spent richly growing the good things that make me who I am. If I think back to being a child, I have always possessed the qualities I have now. They are innate. I am see life's discomfort differently with each year added to my life.
So, here's to growing.

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