In Full Bloom

So, says the flower to the tree, “how did you get so tall?”

Says the tree to the flower, “I started out small and reached great heights over many years.  But not all things grow tall.  Some bloom quickly and spread, their shadows small, but covering the ground as far as the eye can see.”

I talk to a lot of people about the course of their career and where they want to be.  For some, which lately seems to be more and more, I hear I whisper, a silent acknowledgement of an elephant looming.  Imposter syndrome, some call it.

There are children virtuosos who play the piano not because they want the applause or to win the contests or to be on TV.  They play not for the others in room at all – that’s merely circumstance.  No, some of these children play because they want to hear out loud what’s been running in their head the whole time.  They can’t not hear it.  And they want to see if it’s as beautiful outside – to them – as it is inside.  The accolades, the cheers, the honors, those are always a surprise.

When we go out into the world, we see the colors of the trees.  Depending on where you live, sometimes these make great colors.  But not all trees are the same.  Evergreens are just that, ever green.  In the fall, their color falls behind the brilliant shades of orange, yellow, and red.  But in the winter, they’re the only color around.

When the cognitive dissonance of the applause comes accompanied by the booming sound of doubt, you know what?  That may just be okay.

We often praise those around us with some variation of, “you deserve it.”  For many of us, we look around the room and can name so many others who deserve it, too, perhaps more so than us.  After all, we just wanted to hear the music out loud.

Success is an ever-shifting target.  When we climb the face of a mountain, the path we choose can make a significant difference in our ascent to the top.  So can the weather.  So can 100 million other things.  Sometimes, we choose a losing path.  One choice after this is to go back down.  But, if we’re working against time, the temptation is great to stay the course, even if that’s not the best option – it feels the safest and feels like not wasting effort.  But sometimes, just sometimes, someone up ahead looks down and sends down a rope.

Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.

Chief Seattle

Bloom on.