Forced To Bloom

The wild and unpredictable Spring weather continues to keep everyone on their toes. We had a taste of summer that lasted over a week with temperatures in the mid to upper 80's - and even hit 90 degrees on two occasions. Then a wind and rain storm of biblical proportions blew threw and the nights were back down in the 30's with highs during the daytime in the 40's and 50's ... and then back to 70's and 80's again until today when I woke up to 34 degrees. It's gotten to the point where I have to make sure I have several items of clothes for every season available since I never know what I'll wake up to!

If you think this see-saw weather is challenging on humans, one can only imagine what it is doing for the trees and plants. The little tree in the front yard next door usually isn't fully in bloom until early May. It burst into leaf in 10 days! Everyone's front lawns look like the colors of June, the daffodils, tulips and crocus shot up out of nowhere, and the dandelions are already blanketing the neighborhood. Mind you, these things usually take weeks to happen at this time of year in this growing zone, and aren't complete until early to mid May. The unusually hot weather and all the rain has forced them to bloom at an accelerated rate to the dismay of hay fever sufferers. I have to wonder what affect it will have on the plants and trees when summer really gets here. 

As always, I found a life lesson in all of this. Sometimes we humans are forced to bloom before we're ready. Some event in our life, like a death, an illness, a change in our financial status, or family issues, force us to come out of our shells and stop playing it safe. We have to bloom. We have to live our best lives for ourselves and our families. We have to step up to the plate and hit a home run even if we haven't even had a chance to practice first. I'm sure the trees would have loved some time to come into the season gradually as they are accustomed to doing, but the heat and the rain left them no choice but to burst forth and flower. 

For some reason, this unusual Spring makes me think about my life, and life in general. After several months of health challenges that derailed me for a while, this big, bold spring is telling me that it's time to bloom even if I don't feel ready. It's as if the trees and flowers are taunting me, daring me to come out of my warm, dark, cozy cocoon and try my wings. If all of nature can do it, so can I. There's nothing stopping me but me. Time to bloom, girlfriend, time to bloom!

And so it is.