Bloom.

So, I was going back a few posts to try and hunt down one I knew I wrote recently. And I came across this. This post in which I chose one word to describe 2010. And that word? Stability. I went on to choose the word I wanted to symbolize 2011 and that word was growth. The whole point was that I felt my life had gained some stability and I wanted to seek growth out of the stability.

Well, as we all know things change. Or, as my Grandma so eloquently reminded me, shit happens. (She also always told us "Shit in one hand and wish in the other, see which one fills up faster." She had some good ones.) What I find intriguing is that, 2010 is still a year of stability. I still had a lot of aspects of my life "settle down" during that year. And, well, it's coming from a totally different place but 2011 will definitely be a year of growth. If I think about it logistically, it will be even more growth than I ever could have imagined coming out of my "stability" launching pad. Change makes us grow. It makes us flourish and alter our plans and emerge from the mess a better person.

I typically despise change and avoid it at all costs if possible. (Ask my dad sometime about the year he threatened to move us to Portland and I, subsequently, threatened to glue myself to the floor.) But truthfully, change is inevitable. And very often, change is good. Some of the best things that happen to us in life are because of change. It doesn't mean I have to like it when it's happening.

I remember my best friend (and roommate for a semester!) had a sign by her bed that said, "If you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans." I know that no matter how hard I fight change, no matter how much I plan to avoid it. God, the Universe, whatever higher power you believe in, has a plan for all of us. And we can make little adjustments. We can take alternate routes. But I truthfully believe the general direction is laid out for us. So when major changes happen, I have to improve at embracing the outcome. The change might hurt, but the result is generally worth it. It makes me who I am and you can't fight that.

Recently, my most favorite aesthetician in the world announced she was moving to California. After I pouted, stomped my feet, looked longingly at my brows (and made one final appointment!) she shared this quote with me:

"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."

And I think it's awesome. Sometimes the risk of staying the same becomes more painful and life altering than choosing to bloom.