Tuesday, April 7, 2020

Day 41 Lenten Meditation: Bloom

"Bloom where you are planted". All fine and good, but currently I'm planted in my living room, wearing sweats, in day N (where N = I've lost count) of shelter in place during COVID-19. 

Yet I'm still finding ways to bloom. I still write this blog daily. I work on writing in-between my classes. I experiment with sourdough starter. I name my sourdough starters. I wear lipstick with my sweats. I have long literary discussions with my cat Girlie-Girl, who remains unimpressed.

It's easy for me to bloom, however. When I look at Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs:
I'm relatively high on the pyramid. My most basic physiological needs are met (food, clothing, shelter); I am safe in my house; I have a loving relationship and feel I belong in my community; I derive esteem from being a professor and writer; and I have enough of these items to feel I can give back to the community (self-actualization). I have plenty of energy with which to bloom, in other words.

Expecting someone to "bloom" when they're hungry is cruel, as is expecting someone who doesn't feel safe to express themselves freely. Even I, when I'm in a state of depression or mania, don't bloom. Sometimes we just manage, and that's good enough.

We should strive to bloom. We should not make it an expectation, however, because so many people struggle in their lives. Do not judge them if they don't bloom.

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