One of the sayings from my youth I remember most that my father used to espouse was “bloom where you are planted”. I doubt it was original, but he had a way of saying things that would make you think it was. What he was trying to teach me, I believe, was to take whatever situation I found myself in life and make the best of it. And to do so, even if it was not always ideal or where I thought I should be. This requires that that we adopt the right mentality. Changes and setbacks are part of life, I have yet to meet anyone in my life who hasn’t experienced them. But how we handle these experiences, is in the end, the determining factor that makes or break us.
This whole concept was exemplified last week as I sat in a food court in the Atlanta Airport during a layover. My business partner and I watched an elderly African American gentleman, work that food court as if he was the conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra. His enthusiasm and drive were inspiring. His job, find seats for people, carry their food out from the restaurant of their choice, and make sure they had everything they needed. My partner, as he watched this man for several minutes, musingly blurted out to me, “the world would be such a better place if more people had his attitude”. I nodded in resounding agreement, “definitely”, I said.
Think about it, I would venture a guess that he did not picture himself in this role as a young man envisioning the future. I would further speculate that he has seen many changes and setbacks throughout his life. Nonetheless, there he was, “blooming where he was planted.” He was making people smile and feel good in arguably a place where people are often tired, crabby and just want to go home.
Of course, one of the finest examples of this concept is the phenomenon we often encounter of that isolated plant or flower we see growing in the most hostile of circumstances. I am sure you know what I am talking about. There it is, sprouting out of a crack, on the apron of some forgotten highway, a beautiful flower. In the midst of some of the harshest conditions a plant could face, cement, cars, exhaust, heat, wind… it sits proudly, and brightly shining in the sun.
When I consider this concept in the context of the Buddhist concept of the “present moment”, I see a powerful connection. In learning to live in the present moment, not the past, not the future, we empower ourselves to cultivate gratitude, see opportunity, and make the most of each day. The chance our soul has to incarnate here, in human form, and experience this remarkable journey is a treasure beyond measure. Value it, embrace each moment, live with enthusiasm, and above all “bloom where you are planted”.
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