There is a saying that a plant will only grow to the size of its pot. I believe that saying can be applied to people and the settings we put ourselves in. By nature, some people are okay with limited growing space. Some people though, thrive on new experiences, personal development and the ever present potential for growth. Well, I'm one of the people in the second group.
I'm a reader, a writer, an analyzer. I am intrigued by people. I meet new people frequently, and when I step away from a conversation with them, I feel as if I've just conducted an interview. I ask questions, I listen, I am so interested in their stories and experiences. Growth comes from personal expression and personal exploration, but its also gained through the expression and exploration of others.
In my job training horses I can sometimes become tired of the same daily processes. It stimulates me though, when I find a new hurdle to overcome with my training projects. When a new horse arrives for training, it gives my mind something fresh to wrap itself around as I try to understand how the horse processes things and what the best training process would be for it. Some days my boss will teach me something new or push me to view something I do every day on a more detailed level. Some days I will see a fellow worker having trouble with something; I can assess the situation and offer my aid. I crave these windows of development like the seasonings that enhance an ordinary dinner.
These thoughts of growth all stem from the process Phillip and went through recently: we searched, found, and moved from a small one bedroom apartment into a two bedroom, 1.5 bath townhouse-style duplex. It has a small patio and deck out back, some gardening area and trees that I can't wait to see come out of dormancy in the spring. Basically, inside and out, this place has the space to make it our own through how we cultivate it. In the searching process, Phillip said to me, "You need space to grow." How right he is. A tree will always flourish in adequate space and conditions. Its time to flourish!
