photos by Lynn H. Wyvill
I’ve never planted coleus on the screen porch before. I wasn’t sure if they’d do well. Would they have enough sun, too much sun? Would the plastic pot be a vessel to thrive in? I took a chance.
Now, they are all grown up. I have to squeeze past them to get to the porch door (I’m afraid to move them). There are only three of them in this one pot and evidently, they are very happy here.
Sometimes we’re afraid to plant ourselves somewhere new. We’re not sure if we’ll thrive, be happy, and grow. But we take a chance. We do our best to adapt, making sure to get plenty of whatever it is we need – serenity, rest, and nourishment for our minds, bodies and spirits. Sometimes it doesn’t work. We’re just in the wrong spot, at the wrong time. But when it does work, it’s glorious, and we wonder why we didn’t do it sooner.
I’ve replanted myself a number of times in my life. I’ve moved several times. I went back to school. I changed careers. I write books. I’m studying French. All that has worked. I tried tennis, painting, and drawing among other things. Those weren’t the right spots for me. But I’m still happy and proud that I tried.
We have a tendency to focus in vivid detail on the things that didn’t work out, but we still learn from those experiences. We need to look at everything we have accomplished in vivid detail, how much we’ve changed and how much we’ve grown. Even though we may have lost some leaves along the way, we are like that vibrant, thriving coleus.
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Lynn H. Wyvill grew up in Washington DC where her favorite activity was sitting under a Japanese red maple tree, watching clouds create pictures in the sky. As a writer, she finds peace and inspiration when hiking in the woods, strolling on sandy beaches, and observing nature’s show in her backyard. Those experiences are captured in her first book, Nature’s Quiet Wisdom. Before writing books, Lynn worked as a radio/TV reporter and writer for the US Department of Agriculture and owned a consulting business that trained professionals on the creation and delivery of effective presentations. She is a lifelong learner, avid reader, small town explorer, and dedicated theater attendee who lives in beautiful Virginia with her husband.