Bloom

Hello and Happy day! I’m writing this on a late Monday evening after one of the Mondiest Mondays that ever Mondayed as far as my work day went. Everything that had the audacity to be frustrating today well……did. And you know something? That’s completely okay. Momma said there would be days like this. The good thing about it was that my day flew by. I looked up and it was time to clock out. What are Mondays? A new start to the week. A brand new beginning. A fresh look at the days ahead. Sometimes you hope the rest of the days that follow won’t be the same lol. But, you know what? We made it! We persevered. we knocked it out of the park and now it’s over. I’m proud of us for keeping our heads above water. Even bad Mondays are a blessing. See now don’t you feel better? I do. The key to any situation is to press through and find all the good. I had a thought today during all the madness. I couldn’t stop thinking about writing and blogging. And I decided that the blogs this year will be titled by one word. One word that I (or you) can take with me for the day and give it some meaning. A word to focus on for that day and to remember all the goodness that surrounds its meaning. Sounded great to me so that’s where today’s little tale begins.

We’re in the middle of what I call the “blue” season here in my neck of the woods. A time where everything is hibernating including the grass and trees. It’s cold and windy and gray. I love being outside, and I still bundle up and go but, the chill that gets in my bones is just gut wrenching. I hate being cold. I often feel like I need a full sweatsuit with built in hot hands just to take my dog out to do his business. And off topic, but WHY does this dog think he needs to smell of every inch of my acre yard before he can decide on a place to pee? Really Dale (I think I’ve told you my dogs name before)? I honestly think he tries to find a spot that’s never been peed on before. A 15 minute break turns in to 12 minutes of my king of the house finding the perfect sprig of brown grass and dirt to pee on. Then he comes in like he’s just achieved this huge accomplishment and stands there waiting for his pee or poop trophy lol. I do love him though. I call winter the “blue” season because I loathe January and February. I’m strange. I love snow. I love winter. I love everything that even minorly has to do with Christmas but once that bell tolls on new year’s eve I’d love a fast forward button to about mid-March. I think a lot of people get the winter blues. It’s just a stagnant time for those of us that live in areas that get the cold, dead winter. I shouldn’t complain as we’ve really not had tons of freezing cold weather this year. Its really been pretty mild in Tennessee. A few cold mornings. One tiny little snow. Friday is forecasted to be 68 degrees. If I could explain what 68 degrees does for me just imagine dancing around the room with confetti and complete jazz hands. I would take that temperature every day. Long ago my grandmother use to say, things have to wilt to grow. Now I don’t know if there is any truth to that. She also said we needed a cold winter to kill all the bugs that get you during the summer. I do kinda think there is truth in that. Not sure about the “wilt” theory but, I can say, for me, when the winter comes and we have days upon days of blue, it sure is exciting when those first sprigs of fresh green growth come popping out of the ground in the Spring. It’s like a breath of fresh air. In instant inhale of the suns glorious rays and an exhale with a smile. Maybe the ground needs the stillness period to “Bloom”. Maybe we do too.

I’ve already said before that I don’t make New Years resolutions. And I don’t. Most of the time they last for a few weeks and they no longer make sense. On January 1st I went to the gym… and now before you think well don’t most people, I do go to the gym not just on January 1. On my way to the gym I called my little momma. Momma Jude as we call her. I call her several times a day just to check in and make sure she’s okay. My siblings do too. Honestly, she’s probably tired of the phone ringing 20 times a day just for her four children to say “what are you doing”. We don’t care. We call anyway. I think we just want to hear her voice. Anway, on my way to the gym I called her. She was saying how she bet the gym would be so crowded and proceeded to tell me that she made a new years resolution to go to the gym and that it lasted about 5 minutes. She said that the drove though the parking lot and drove right out. The fastest broken resolution in history. Lol. No, she doesn’t go to the gym. Bless her heart, she gets out and shops and goes to eat with friends but, as the years go she is becoming more and more unsteady. No, I don’t make resolutions. I do however, open new chapters. I follow new paths. Ones that I can stroll along for as long as they bring me joy. Once the joy is over I close that chapter. I stray from that path on to a new adventure. Isn’t that what life is all about? Finding your path. Finding the correct road to go down to bring you happiness. Writing each page of my chapter in this life. Filling them with each adventure. Trying to make myself the best I know how to be. To grow and to bloom.

Spring is so beautiful and its just around the corner. Flowers need encouragement from the sun and the rain. Their roots grow strong and sprout to yield beautiful blooms that scatter the ground like a Bob Ross painting. The trees burst with leaves and fruit all on their own year after year. The shrubs and flowers in my landscaping go from the worst looking mess ever to well manicured all on their own. I think about all of this growth and see the similarities that we share with the land. We all go through rough patches. Nothing is ever always perfect. But we have survived 100 percent of our bad days. We did. And we will continue to. Just like the beautiful earth we all wilt and wither at times and then we bloom and grow and thrive. The key is to come back even more magnificent after each “blue” period. To know that your winter, whatever that may be, will only last for a season. It comes and goes just like the spring and fall. We need to tend to ourselves just as we would tend to our plants. Plenty of water and sunlight to encourage growth. Sometimes that nutrition that we need comes in the form of self care and a positive outlook. And believe it or not, we all have inside of us. On the worst day possible, there is always something positive to be thankful for. Even if you have to search for it. So search for it. Search for even the tiniest glimmer of light in each day.

Today as my ugly Monday comes to a close, I count my blessings and thank the Lord for all of the good that came out of this day. I have a home, food in my refrigerator, clothes on my body, and the love of my family. Even though today was tough, I woke up this morning. I get to go just one room over and work from home at a job that I do like. I talked with my momma today. She’s still here with me and I get to hear her voice every single day. I get to go to the gym (not have to, I get to) and try to keep myself heathy. Yes, my little Dale has to find the perfect place to pee but, I have the ability to walk him all over our yard so that he can be content.

Before I sign off to sleep I just want you to know that I’m proud of you! I want you to know that your attitude and the outcome of your day is only decided by you. Even if the day is tough you can control your reaction and response. There is nothing that you can not do if you set your mind to it. My wish for every person is to find their correct path and pursue it. To write the next chapter of your life and fill it with things that make you happy. For your minds to be cleared of any negative thoughts and overflowing with all of the positives. You are the gardener of your life. Tend to it and Bloom.

Have a very blessed Monday night. Happy dreams. I hope tomorrow is all that you ever wanted it to be.

Always…….Brooke