Potted Plants

I, for a very long time, have compared my life to a potted plant, life giving, beautiful, vibrant, and easily moved. There was a comfort in being able to set roots and grow, but not be tied to one place. My roots confined to pots that over the years have continued to grow larger and heavier.  My branches reaching high and wide with but only able to move in limited space. My pots were safe and secure. 

I, like many other potted plants, have matted roots. Repotting works for a while, but over time the same problems resurface. The roots become tangle and growth stops. The pot’s growing sizes and weights, make them more and more difficult to move. The freedoms the pots once represented are now a hindrance. The soils have become hard and drained of nutrients. The roots are fighting to reach deeper than they have previously been allowed. Nature, however, is persistent and powerful. The roots constant expansion have caused the pots to crack and become misshapen. They are making space where there is none. If they can’t go deep, they will go wide. If they can’t not reach the bottom, they turn and head for the sky, but by whatever means necessary they will survive. 

Our pots take many shapes and forms and are labeled things such as, belief, opportunity, relationships, location, obligation, career, and family.  To reach our full potential we have to allow ourselves to be removed from the pot and firmly planted in deep, rich, and fertile soil. We have allow ourselves to be watered and nurtured, so that we mature, flower, bear fruit, and spread our seeds. Seeds of knowledge, experience, wisdom, and influence. 

As you travel through this week I encourage you all to find your fertile soils. Plant yourself in places where you feel you can grow, thrive and reach your full potential and remember, from that which you extract, make sure you give back.  Make it a great week everyone. 

Today’s Motivation 

“ The earth is the mother of all that moves, and is the common bond between the generations that have been, are, and are to come” 

~ Kikuyu oral tradition