I always loved this phrase and have several items with this quote on them. Partly because it says "bloom" and as a kid named Blume growing up, it was rare that I saw anything even remotely close to my name on things. The other reason is that while I loved where I grew up - in the desert in Southern California - it wasn't the most desirable place to live in my mind because I had always longed to live near water. But to me, this phrase meant that I should accept where I live and blossom there anyway. Be the best me I could be and make the best of where I lived.
What I didn't know this phrase left room for is changing locations - moving. I almost thought of it as a "be happy with what you have" (which is great) but at the same time, I thought that being happy with what you have means that I couldn't dream of someplace better, bigger, more satisfying for my spirit. I thought that being happy with what I have was synonymous with never changing what I have.
Now that I've moved to a lake in a rain forest on the Oregon coast, I've realized that this phrase doesn't include the "staying put" part – I added that in. I implied it because of my own circumstances and my mind's limitations at the time. I still love this phrase but for me, it no longer implies staying put... enjoy where you live, get the most out of it, because life is short and we might as well be happy. But part of getting the most out of life can include dreaming and working towards a new location and that doesn't mean you aren't enjoying the one that you're in, it means that you know this phrase doesn't also imply that you also have to be stuck somewhere.
Life is short. Live where you want to live. Whether that be Paris, Los Angeles, or the middle of nowhere in a prairie. Dream it, and do it! And in the meantime, make the most of where you live now. Live like a tourist. Go to those amazing secret spots that people long to go to in your area. Visit your museums and art galleries and coffee shops. That way when you leave a place, you have a fondness for it instead of a sour taste in your mouth. Live a life you'll be proud of!
(Stunning artwork by Clementine Creative)
