BLOOM WHERE YOU ARE PLANTED ... BEGIN AGAIN!

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Let’s be honest, life rarely turns out exactly how you plan it!  

There are always bumps in the road that require you to pause, adjust and pivot.  

You know what I’m talking about!

The unexpected events that pop in and blow up your life.  A death, an accident, a job loss, a relationship breakup, a bankruptcy, addiction, a diagnosis….!

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It first happened to me

when I was sailing along in my forties with a great job, happy marriage and two young boys.  

A routine doctor’s appointment determined I had cancer. 

What guided me through it was some random advice that would become my life mantra.

I can hear the words like it was yesterday:

They were spoken quietly:  

“I don’t know why this burden has been placed on you.  We can only have faith that things will turn out as they are supposed to.  What you can do is 'Bloom where you are planted' and 'Trust in the journey'."  

I reflect often how those fine words of wisdom have served me over the years.

And most recently 40 years later, I have revisited them again.  

I have an autoimmune disease called PMR that limits my mobility.  

I’ve had to give up many of the things I love like golf, hiking, gardening, yoga.

I knew it was common to feel regret when things don’t turn out as planned, so I allowed myself to spend some time steeped in loss and self-pity, while trying to avoid a spiral down the dark rabbit hole.  

I held tightly onto my mantra words and started daily gratefulness journaling with faith that things would work out. 

 I took some risks, signed up for a few courses, joined the community rec center and started water walking.

Life was still weird but improving. (Amazing how time helps us adjust to a new normal).

Things really changed however when my sister came to visit.  

She brought with her a little rock painting project as a  hostess gift .(Her enthusiasm made me initially wonder if she had lost her mind).  

She insisted on painting rocks together before she left despite my resistance. And much to my surprise I really enjoyed it and discovered I have a creative side I never knew I possessed.

I now paint weekly (memorial stones, hostess gifts, seasonal tributes, garden markers, trophies etc).

Painting rocks is my happy place that fills some time, stimulates my brain and gratifies a sense of accomplishment.  I pool walk and manage my new invented life with acceptance and gratefulness.

I’ve discovered that there is light even in the darkest of places and if you are willing to try new things,  even those that don’t’ seem interesting at first, 

“believe things work out the way they are meant to, and trust in the journey”.

You might wake up in a new growing season in full bloom.

It’s never too late to begin again!  

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By Brenda Hayter . January 2026

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