I was out in my backyard this week, spending some time in nature and being mindful of the beauty around me. I saw these two plants and they captured my attention. Some of you may have seen my post on Facebook:

Both of these plants are in the same season (winter), but they are at different stages of growth and development. One is blooming, so vibrant and fertile. The other is shedding its leaves to conserve water and energy, eventually building cells to protect the exposed areas until the season changes. Both are beautiful for their own reasons.

What these little plants reminded me of was that different plants flourish in different seasons. It’s winter in Australia right now, but when summer comes, these plants will look very different. Instead of the picture looking like above, the plant on the left will be blooming while the other will be protecting itself from the heat. Growth for each plant will accelerate at different times of the year, but regardless of which season I see flowers, neither is better than the other. These plants are just totally different and thrive in different seasons. In their very DNA they were designed to bloom at different times, because quite simply, they are different plants.

The lesson I take away from this is that people (*cough* Spiritual people) are great at talking about ‘knowing your season’, myself included, but we can get tripped up when we see others in the same season as us. We compare ourselves to others who are our same age or life-stage or working in a similar role. When we feel we are conserving or withering while someone else is thriving or blooming, it’s important for us to be mindful of how we view ourselves. Essentially, you are a different kind of plant to me and I to you. I would not expect my Crepe Myrtle to bloom in winter, what a ridiculous notion, but goodness I can catch myself expecting to see blooms in every season of life. It sounds like this:

The simple take away is yes, you are different plant and therefore you bloom at a different time to someone else and that is ok. Perhaps your beauty is in looking after yourself. If you try to force yourself to bloom in the wrong timing, you’ll be too exhausted for the growth that could be coming your way.

Having simple one-liner to hold onto, like “I am a different plant” and speaking it to yourself, is incredibly powerful. It is a useful tool to cut through the lies we sometimes tell ourselves.  This one is helpful for me, maybe it will be helpful for you too. So, my friends next time you look at a fellow stay-at-home parent, or the colleague who is excelling in the same work industry as you, stop that poisonous comparative thought in its tracks and say it with me “I am a different plant.”

Love Jess xxoo

PS – For those concerned or bursting to encourage me, I don’t feel as though I am in a hibernating winter or sweltering summer. In case you are wondering, that was last year 🙂 But I know there will be winters and summers all throughout my life, so it’s good for me to keep being reminded of these lessons regardless of where I am in that cycle and whoever else I see alongside me.