Some of you may be wondering,
"Nicole! Where have you been?? I've missed your animations, you lazy slob!"
And to that I say... um, thank you? The truth is I've been busy, and I plan on making a blog post to explain my summer doings. Actually, this post was going to be that post, but now it's not. So yeah, it's coming.
Any who, this post is a post of encouragement. I'm about to get all motivational up in here. Okay, here we go.
I am a gardener. I looove gardening. I don't grow plants, I grow "plant babies." I watch them grow and flourish and I weed my garden like a crazy helicopter mom. Along one side of my vegetable garden is a row of green bean plants that I grew from seed. They were about two inches tall when some nameless, faceless woodland hoodlum decided to EAT ONE OF MY BABIES. I come home after work, check on my plants, and what do I find? One of my little toddler green bean plants has been eaten down to the stem! It looked like nothing more than a little green stick.
My initial reaction, naturally, was to make a screeching noise of anguish similar to that of a pterodactyl. Then came the feeling of acceptance. After all, when you grow things outside there are bound to be casualties. I figured there would be one of two outcomes: either it will grow back, or it will change color and die. Frankly I assumed the latter.
A month passed. Nothing happened. It wasn't growing, but it wasn't dying either. The other plants doubled, tripled in size. My stick remained a stick. One day I thought about just pulling it out, but I hesitated. Maybe I was optimistic. Maybe I was just lazy. Either way, I left it alone.
Yesterday, when I got home from work, I checked on my garden. I looked over my healthy, happy green bean plants, and then I looked at the stick.
And then I looked at the stick again.
IT HAS LEAVES!!!!!!!!!!!!
The pride I feel for this little plant is insane. And to think, I almost pulled it out!
But in all seriousness, how motivational is this?? It's so easy in life to give up when it seems that everyone around you is doing better than you are. Maybe you're not happy with your job. Maybe you're stuck in a rut. Maybe you want to follow your dreams, but you don't even know what those dreams are. It's easy to look around at all the "happy, successful people" and think, "I'm not like them. I'll never be happy."
THAT'S NOT TRUE.
Just because some people get where they're going faster than you, doesn't mean you'll never get there. You are not them. You are you. This little green bean plant never planned on being eaten by wildlife, but it happened. That's quite a big setback if you ask me. And even though all the other plants are now big and leafy and "successful," is it giving up? Heck no! It will grow and grow and flourish on its own terms. And it will be happy.
Don't compare yourself to others. Grow and flourish ON YOUR OWN TERMS. You WILL get there.
Now go be happy, little green bean.
Much love,
Nicole