Trusting the Bloom: When Growth Isn’t Instant

This morning, while sitting on my back porch and  eyeing my small flower garden, I noticed something seemingly profound. Some of the flowers were open and radiant, standing tall in their full bloom. Others were still closed, some barely opening, and a few still appeared as though they had never grown at all. A few had lost their petals but still standing.
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It struck me that they were all planted in the same soil. They were exposed to the same sunlight. They were watered at the same time. And yet still, each one was on its own timeline. Some flourished quickly. Others moved slowly,  some stayed closed altogether, and others lost their spark.

And this reminded me of life AND it got me to thinking.

We all exist in the same world, but we are not all in environments that are made for our full blooming. Sometimes, we are planted in places that were never designed to nurture who we truly are. We see others opening and flourishing beside us, and it can make us question what’s wrong with us. But maybe there's nothing wrong. Maybe the ground we’re in can’t hold all that we are. Maybe it was only ever meant to be a starting place, not a forever place.

This is where self-awareness becomes essential. We have to ask: What do I need in order to grow? Is it time? Is it space? Is it a shift in environment, or simply the courage to let myself soften and unfold?

Often, we don’t even pause long enough to ask ourselves what we truly want from life. We press forward, distracted or disheartened, all while carrying a vision we’ve never fully fleshed out. The bloom doesn’t come because we haven’t made it clear, to life, to God, or even to ourselves, what it is we’re reaching for.

Writing it down helps. Sitting with it helps. Imagining the details (how you want to feel, live, love, move, rest, earn, and show up) helps. These small, sacred steps create inner space. And just like negative space in design or music, that open space helps the most important things stand out.

When we pause, even briefly, we can begin to understand: Maybe I’m not broken. Maybe I’m just not blooming here.

So if your life feels slow to flourish, I invite you to stop and ask: What do I want? What does my soul need to open fully? Is it permission? Is it quiet? Is it richer soil?
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Even when you can’t bloom where you are, your roots can still hold the wisdom of what’s next.

XO

Frankie Alisha, LPC
Keep up the Momentum.