January 31

One thing about the word "grow" is that it often carries with it a connotation of effortlessness, grace, and uninterrupted expansion, when in reality, growth is also long, slow, and often occurs in the shadows. It could easily be connected to the beautiful image of a flower blooming into being in early spring after a long winter. However, even though this is most certainly a part of growth, there's also everything else that came before it, too. Cell division and extension, the photosynthesis that happens on a cellular level—there is so much that happens for the flower to bloom that wouldn't be deemed noteworthy to the passive observer.

But that's just the passive observer; you don't have to be a passive observer. You can be the one who chooses to pause and observe the growth with much more consideration. To consider is to bring forth careful thought, and you're allowed to be the one who does this. You are allowed to slow down and notice all the little things that remind you: not a stage of your growth has been missed.

In a very practical sense, if it's hard to look at your own life in this way, or if you're just in need of some inspiration, simply do a quick internet search for “plant time-lapses” and watch a few. Pay attention to the way the flowers move through the different phases of the day and the stages of their lives, all while busy people pass them by. There's so much that goes unnoticed in our world on a daily basis. And this is true for humans, too.

So let today be the day you pause and consider: “What are the ways in which you are growing right now that might not be noteworthy to others, but it still matters? How am I growing in ways I haven't even noticed yet, myself?”

Not a stage of your growth has been missed. Each exhale, each release, and each moment of letting go is a part of the growth journey.