Grow where you are planted

I went for a walk today in my neighborhood. The Spring air still chilly, sidewalk full of trees, it was beautiful. I watched the tress along the foot path while walking; hovering over the sidewalk, swaying in the breeze… these gentle giants amaze me. They come in different sizes and shapes, they provide food, oxygen, shade, protect our water sources, you name it. But most importantly, they grow where they are planted and do not complaint about it.

When I moved to Down Under, I used to complaint a lot at the beginning. well, with reason. Because, everything was new, I was thousands of miles away from my loved ones and it was difficult. To make matters worse it took me a while to secure a job. As you can imagine, I was under lot of stress to the point after about three months, I wanted to go back home, and I am so glad I didn’t. I am forever grateful for the amazing people I met here who talked me out of going back. One of my friends said, “stay for another three months, if it doesn’t work then you can go.” I have nothing to lose, I thought, so I’ll stayed for another three months and another and another. I was doing odd jobs, applying for every job out there in my field, freaking out about my thinning savings. I was in a bad spot, barely holding up. This was not the life I envisioned for myself. I thought I will get a full-time job straight away after moving and will buy a car then a house you name it. I had a fulltime job back home and the casual work I found here was too strenuous for me: at least initially.  I worked across jobs, and I was not used to working 12-to-13-hour shifts per day, I dragged my sore body to bed and cried myself to sleep most of the nights. It was not at all great. Did it get better though. Yes, it certainly did.

When I was struggling, I could not understand why I was planted here, to go through all this pain and suffering; I was so confused, lonely and felt lost. I never saw the bigger picture back then. Looking back at my toughest times, they were blessings in disguise. What I went through helped me to be who I am today. It helped me to grow and be resilient; I was lonely, so I found my tribe, the competition was tough for work, so I learnt new skills to be at the game. Most importantly, I learnt to be sensitive to other people’s troubles. I wanted to help others those who are having it hard in life. Looking back, I can see why I was planted there. To learn and to grow, and to be of service to others. Was it fun? Not so much. Was it worth the trouble though.  Yes, definitely. Those four years I lived in Adelaide were one of the best times in my life.

In life we sometimes find ourselves planted in places that are far from ideal. It may be the health issue you are going through, maybe you hate your current job, or struggling to find work, it maybe you do not like how you look or feel stuck in life! The list goes on. As much as it is not fun, it is important to see the bigger picture. Your situation is not ideal does not mean that you should stop trying. I was upset and worried about my situation back then, but I kept going. Mainly because I did not know what else to do. But my hard work and resilience paid off at the end.

I know when you are trying to come out of the rut, sometimes it feels like you are hitting on a brick wall trying to break it without any luck. It feels discouraging at times. But just hang in there. Things will and they should get better. Life has this amazing way of nudging you, slowly pushing you towards your path (Well, sometimes it feels like an avalanche on your head, I know). But just know that your tough times will change. In the meantime, do what you can do to improve your situation, be of service to others who are in even worst situations; grow where you are planted knowing that you are where you meant to be in this moment of time.

Just look around you; are there broken relationships with your family or friends you would like to mend while waiting? What you are going through now may be a better path for your financial freedom; to start the side hustle you always wanted to start, this maybe an opportunity to ignite your passion for theatre, writing or baking or this may be the down time you needed to heal your past!

It does not matter where you are at your story, you need to know it is not going to end here. You have come this far not to stop now. If you can find what it is that life wants you to learn from the situation you are in; to mend, to heal, to grow or just to be at peace knowing that things will get better, you can find a way out of it.

To reiterate, if you feel stuck in mud at the moment, just hang in there. With a bit of effort and resilience, you can bloom like a lotus flower out of the mud, out of that murky water you are in and bring beauty and fragrance to the whole world one day.

So, my dear friend, my lotus sprout, grow where you are planted and be victorious. Xoxo

Weeds on the sidewalk - Grow where you are planted