Growing Pains

Hello loves & happy Easter week!

Spring is shockingly feeling like spring again. The weather is getting over its mood swings and starting to be consistently warmer. Flowers are blooming, bees are buzzing, people are sneezing from the pollen. All the signs that the earth is coming back to life.

To me, the end of winter always signals new beginnings. Brand new flowers and plants burst from the ground for the first time ever. Bird nests are filled with eggs that will soon hatch into hungry, chirping chicks. The caterpillar readies itself for a metamorphosis by eating all it can before finding a good place to build a cocoon.

People seem more inclined to start over in the spring too.

We deep clean our houses and closets. We throw ourselves back into a health kick, hoping it'll make an impact before our upcoming beach trip. Some people use the spring to travel more or to start up that new hobby, or apply for a new job. There's just something about existing in the spring that motivates us to finally make that change we've been holding back from.

I think it's because spring and hope go hand in hand.

Think about it. Winter is cold and dark. The skies are grey and everything around us appears to be dead or hibernating. For humans, the work day is long, and the nights are even longer. Everything feels like it's stuck in a colorless limbo. But then the sun comes back. The frost thaws. Birdsong and the chatter of squirrels fill the air as the earth is covered in greens and blues and pinks. The darkness is over.

But that change doesn't happen overnight. It comes in stages. Long, grueling stages that take a lot of thankless hours, hard work that isn't seen or appreciated, and the knowledge that even the smallest breeze can throw everything a bit off course.

Seeds germinate alone and in the darkness before they begin to sprout. Then, the tiny sapling has to force it's way through the ground until it can bask in the sun. Sometimes the soil is light and soft and easy to break through. But other times, the dirt can be hardened and packed, almost as unbreakable as cement. The plant has only two options: fight and struggle with all their might until they make it to the top, or give up and remain trapped underground.

Birds and butterflies are the same way. They have to break out of the shell on their own. Much like the seed, giving up or trying to take the easy way out can backfire. There's a reason why you are advised to let birds hatch naturally. Helping hands have often been the cause of injury or illness to young, vulnerable chicks. The chick knows when it's ready to break free; but rushing it along can lead to fatal consequences. Without developing the strength to peck their way through, the baby birds are underdeveloped and physically too soft to survive. The same is with butterflies, who must force themselves through the too-tight opening of the cocoon to emerge with fully functioning wings.

Impatience and rushing things along, no matter how well-intentioned someone might be, leads to harm and death in the natural world. So why do we think it would be any different with humans?

All the things that are worth working for cannot be attained easily. Those who do take the easy route. . . Well, people have the opinions they have toward "nepo babies" for a reason. Plus, you know, all the health concerns surrounding lypo and "fix-it-quick surgeries." The easy, painless routes toward health or a career have, at best, cringey, lackluster results and at worst, life-shattering consequences.

The ones who work hard for what they want are the ones who attain something that lasts. Even the most talented athletes and artists who seem to have a "natural gift" still work extremely hard behind the scenes to be at their best. If we want to change our lives for the better, we have to be prepared for struggles and hardships.

There's nothing wrong with eggs or seeds. They are necessary stages that allow a living thing to rest and develop. People have these stages too, usually what we call our "comfort zones." They're a safe stage where we can focus on what we want out of life and ensure we have the support and resources necessary to go after our desires.

But we can't stay there. Eggs that don't hatch are usually deemed rotten, a dud, or somebody's breakfast. Lifeless.

We are meant to grow and "hatch" from our comfort zones just like a seed must crack its hardened shell to move forward. The process can be difficult. Your growth period might be longer or shorter than someone else's. Sometimes it feels like you can be getting hit with a lot, while others are zooming past on easy street. But you know, usually the strongest plants that thrive are the ones who persevered through tough soil and frostbite.

Like I said, spring gives me hope. Even the springs with repeated cold-snaps from a winter that refuses to back off will always win out over the frost. And in those seasons, when you look around, you see a world filled with beauty from the things that didn't give up on their growth journey, no matter how hard it got.

Changing your life, following your dreams, or undergoing any type of metamorphosis won't be easy. But as long as you have hope and refuse to give up, you will find yourself growing into something more amazing than you expected.

Love y'all!

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life."--Proverbs 13:12