Green Thumb

green thumb mediaMy mom has plants everywhere in their house. Every time she prunes, starts a new bud or transplants she’s successful. My dad too, every year their garden looks like a rain forest, large and plentiful. While their thumbs are green mine are as peach as peach can be. Fish and plants don’t stand a chance under my thumbs. It’s not for lack of trying. But how many times can someone try, loose and take on victims without being a bad guy? After 4 fish and 6 plants enough was enough, I accepted my peach thumbs. I can happily say I lived victim free for 7 years.

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Four years, almost to the day, I became a mother for the first time. I always wanted kids but after being single for what felt like forever, I wasn’t sure they were in the cards for me. It seemed dating guys that didn’t want girlfriends or kids were my type. When I started dating my now husband it didn’t seem like such a far-fetched dream. After being married for around three years our family that had consisted of us and two miniature pinchers (that are not so miniature) grew to include a tiny baby. Since then we’ve had two more additions another baby boy and a four legged friend of the meowing kind.

A few nights ago, my son awoke at midnight crying. He needed some soothing only a momma can give before he could go back to sleep. I went in, covered him up and rubbed his back. While I was in there I realized something. I grew him. I provided the nutrients and nurturing he needed to grow. This nurturing didn’t stop once he was out of womb it’s continued for years. I have two babies and a collection of almost 5 years of growing and nurturing them. That simple fact is so crazy to me.

The last ten or so years I’ve convinced myself that a green thumb would never be in my future and here I literally have living proof. It is almost easier to accept when other people lie to you rather than realizing you’ve lied to yourself. If someone lies to you we often offer forgiveness but don’t trust them until they have earned it, but how can you re-earn your own trust even after forgiveness?

We tend to accept stereotypes we create for ourselves. We limit ourselves because we hadn’t had any success in the first couple tries. Can you imagine what the world would be like had Thomas Edison stopped trying to create the light bulbs? Next time you turn on a light let that light bulb spark some motivation for you to try and succeed where you have limited yourself in the past. You just might surprise yourself!

Pursue Within,

xo Jes