What If You Can't Bloom Where You're Planted?

For all of my adult life, I’ve wanted a patio we could turn into an outdoor living area. Yes, we live in Mississippi where the weather allows us three days each year where it’s not too hot, too cold, or too rainy to spend extended time outdoors. Regardless, this outdoor living space has been my dream, and we finally have it! Now all we have to do is decorate the space.

I asked for outdoor containers for Christmas last year, and my parents were gracious enough to gift them to me. Once we survived the snowpocalypse, I couldn’t wait to choose the perfect plants for my containers. I spent way too much time searching Pinterest for plant ideas. When it came time to purchase said plants, the guy at the nursery rolled his eyes at me. I pressed on.

Many of the plants I wanted were not in season just yet, but I couldn’t wait. I don’t know much about flowers, but I knew the area received direct sunlight most of the day, so I specifically chose plants that thrived in those conditions.

Except this one container.

When I made it home and started digging in the dirt, I discovered that one of the plants required “shade or part shade.” But what do you do? Plant it anyway and see what happens. Well, that’s what I did, I’m not sure if that’s what you’re supposed to do or not.

Things seemed to be going well, until we hit our first days of eighty-degree weather. I walked out one afternoon to find the slender green branches slumped in wilted heaps against the container’s side. I was pretty sure this one wasn’t going to make it.

In addition to my containers, I also received one iron plant stand. On a whim, I moved the bright purple flowers I’d originally placed on the stand and replaced that container with the wilted, drooping plant. I continued to water faithfully every evening except on the days it rained.

Today that plant that once dripped like cooked greens from my planter is one of the most beautiful, lush plants on my patio.

Comparisons between plants and people abound, and I think this could easily be one.

I love the phrase “bloom where you’re planted.” It’s all about accepting both the limitations and blessings of your situation. Some things in life we just can’t change. If we’re going to succeed, we have to work around those things.

But what if your situation leaves you wilted at the end of the day? What if one small change could transform you from half-dead to lush and thriving? Don’t we owe it to ourselves and others in our lives who aren’t blooming to change what can be changed?

Sometimes the move between dying and thriving is just a few feet over.