Often in life we find ourselves in a place where the path ahead seems obscured, overgrown, unclear, and impossible. Life deals us some very difficult circumstances at times that seem insurmountable both personally and professionally. Every circumstance is different, and I won’t trivialize the overwhelming grief, pain, sadness, fear, anxiety, sense of being lost, and many other emotions you may be feeling in your challenging life situation. Whether you are dealing with a personal situation or career/job related difficulties, what you are going through is very real as are the emotions. What I do want to share with you, through my own reflection here, is to trust yourself to find that path forward that is best for you and helps you to thrive in life and continue forward in a positive and happy journey for yourself. I was reminded of this simple yet powerful fact this weekend by something as simple as a greeting card and a summer cutting garden filled with towering flowers in one of my favorite local museums and gardens, both which took me back to a childhood summer memory in Georgia.
When I was about eight or nine years old growing up in rural Georgia, we lived next door to my Uncle George, daddy’s baby brother, and his wife, Aunt Sue. I loved visiting their house, especially in the summer. Aunt Sue had an incredibly talented green thumb as they say, and she had the most impressive gardens! There were rows upon rows of towering sunflowers, lilies, and an assortment of other colorful flowers I can’t even begin to name. And at the center of her garden was her pride and joy, of all things, a banana tree, in Georgia! By late summer the banana tree was enormous, fanning its shady leaves presiding over the surrounding rows of summer flowers, standing equally as regal and tall.
The growing season wasn’t long enough for the banana tree to produce fruit, and each year, Aunt Sue would cut it down before frost and bring it indoors inside a pot to spend the winter safely until it was warm and safe to go back out into the garden. I loved and was fascinated by that tree and the other colorful flowers that towered over my head. I enjoyed getting lost in the garden but sometimes, I would feel a bit of panic if, when in the middle of the garden, I couldn’t quite make out the overgrown path that led back out. But I trusted myself that I would be able to find the path, even though it meant sometimes pushing through the overgrowth, catching a few scrapes on my arms and legs, but still was able to trust myself to find the path forward. Even in the midst of the overgrowth in the garden and trying to find my way out, I could always look up and around and see the beauty of the sky and the colors of nature around me.
It reminds me of that classic quote from author Alice Walker in The Color Purple, “sometimes I think it pisses God off if you walk past the color purple in a field and don’t notice it.” Even when I was a bit anxious to try and find my path out of the garden, I stopped to appreciate the beauty of the color purple and other colors around me. I know this doesn’t take away the challenges and difficulties we face in hard times in life, but it is a reminder for me. And I hope it encourages you to reflect on your own story too and provides a reminder that we can trust ourselves to find the path forward. Remember that doesn’t mean that we have to do it all alone. Sometimes we need to call for help, and there are always people there, like my Aunt Sue, who know those garden paths of life well, and are there to help us find the way through.
I encourage you to reflect on your own stories for times when you trusted yourself and found the path forward. And may whatever life circumstances you find yourself in now, please remember to trust yourself and find the path that helps you thrive because as always, Your Story Matters.
