It’s been a long time since I’ve posted in here.

But the sun’s shining, a seagull’s voice is an inspiring sound, and I’m excited about my coffee and my window and my computer and this blank screen so I’ll write on it.

I was asked a question by a thoughtful and dear friend not too long ago that has lingered in my mind since. She asked, “What things are you hoping will blossom in your near future?”

My response in the moment was far from adequate. After my words mused and wandered for a moment, not sure what to say, I acknowledged defeat. I said that it was easier for me to dream about things in my distant future. It was much more difficult to flesh out any hopes and dreams for the more immediate one – the next six months or a year? Whoever knows? I find it hard to dream or define what I hope will happen in my current story in its next stages.

My own psychosis (or lack thereof) aside, I am still chewing on the question. It’s a good one. It attests well to the complex reality that dreaming can be.

For things to blossom, (at least those things we cultivate,) two sets of forces work in parallel. A conscious effort tills the ground; plants a seed; waters; protects. In tandem, the inscrutable realities and rhythms of nature house that seed; cause it to break open; regulate the temperature and moisture and sunlight and chemicals necessary to turn a kernel into a living organism.

I appreciate this analogy for how our futures are penned. We have control over some things. We can put effort in; design our goals; pursue dreams; take steps to move in a direction of our choosing. But forces much larger than us exert incredible, geological, and unavoidable influence. These things we can’t control can sometimes help those efforts along – meeting the right people; experiencing favorable conditions; getting a big break; receiving opportunities; benefitting from the provision others provide for us. They can also hamper or completely halt us in our tracks. Things don’t work; opportunities pass us by; someone else wins; injuries or unforeseen circumstances derail; interest wanes; duties or responsibilities manifest; war or pandemics break out.

And in the end, whatever blossoms is still a gift. Flowers are delicate; fleeting; breathtaking in their sheer chance and finiteness.

What do you hope will soon blossom for you?

-LS