Choose to Bloom

It was 80 degrees on Wednesday and the following day was in the 40s. I knew when I saw the forecast that the day was a gift. It is still February in the North East so there is no way spring was here to stay but we reveled in the day anyway. Despite a specialist appointment in the morning, we still managed a play date and then the big kids spent most of the afternoon outside exploring the yard and climbing trees. I decided to forgo school for the day in favor of exploring nature and revealing in the weather. I haven’t seen my kids happier in quite a while.

My husband bought me roses two days after Valentine’s Day. I usually tell him not to buy me flowers this time of year because they are so expensive and the tend to be poor quality. The flowers are forced into bloom for the holiday and so generally less hardy and don’t last as long. But this bouquet surprised me. Going on more than a week and these roses are opening beautifully with only the slightest trace of wilting at the edge of the petals.

We can choose to bloom, even under less than ideal circumstances. Even though we know the sunny day won’t last, we can still enjoy it. Things have not been particularly easy around here for the last few months, and we likely have some difficult times to come as well. But I can still find joy. My birthday is coming up in two weeks. I’ll be 35. I’ve been rather dreading this milestone, I can’t particularly tell you why. Something about the end of youth and the child bearing phase of my life. But instead of letting the day pass by nearly unmarked, as I have been tempted to do in the past. I want to celebrate. even if it’s just a night out with a friend or two.

Grownup birthdays aren’t much fun, especially if you have small kids. There is not much downtime or celebration because the daily grind doesn’t stop to care when you were born. But we can choose to embrace the moments and the joy that comes with them. There may be snow on the ground around me, but I know that spring is coming. I’m blooming anyway.