The Key To Happiness Can Be Found In The Dirt

In the wise words of Lady Bird Johnson, “Where flowers bloom, so does hope.”

Have you ever planted a seed and watched in germinate then grow and bloom into a beautiful plant? Because there is so much hope for the future when you’re watching the transformative process of a plant growing.

You watch it every day to see the change. It grows slightly taller or greener. It sprouts buds that turn into food or flowers. It brings an incremental amount of hope and happiness into every day.

And sometimes that’s the only hope a person will have during a day.

The connection between hope and happiness

I don’t know a single person who has never struggled with a sense of hopelessness. Maybe it’s with your health. Or your kids. Or your job or your faith or your relationships.

But whatever the cause, if you can’t find you hope you will certainly never find happiness.

Because hope is the simple act of looking for happiness in the future. Even if the future is only 5 minutes from now.

Related: 101 Thought Of The Day Quotes To Encourage Hope

I love the idea of hope as the thought that circumstances will stay good or get better in the future. It allows for contentment to exist AND allows for growth to occur.

I like this because we forget, in a world where we’re ‘keeping up with the Joneses’, that we don’t have to hope for bigger and better. Sometimes we can hope for small and inconsequential.

We hope that tomorrow is sunny. We hope that we can get a little better at our job today. Or that this moment of contentment will last for a little while longer.

If you’ve ever watched a plant grow, then you know what I mean. You don’t plant an acorn and watch it turn into an oak tree overnight. You first watch it sprout, then grow into a gangly green. It’s only after a few years that you might start to see its resemblance to a tree. And it will be decades before it’s the mighty oak that we recognize.

Each step of the way brings joy. Every winter it survives is a celebration. And every new inch it obtains is growth.

Watch along as I plant a flower pot to bring some happiness to my front patio

Watch hope grow one step at a time

If you’re struggling right now, please take a lesson from the flowers.

Don’t try to turn your situation into a beautiful flower overnight. Take the time to achieve small steps. And let those small steps make you happy. It might not be your final destination, but each step you take in the right direction can be celebrated.

Some day you might reach the end result, but even if you don’t you’ve celebrated life along the way.

One of life’s biggest tragedies is waiting for tomorrow to be happy.

If you take that approach to life, I can guarantee that you will never be happy. There are always changes and improvements we will want or need.

There will always be another obstacle to tackle. And if you wait until all those things are done, your life will have passed you by before you realize that you will never be perfect.

Other lessons from flowers

Being happy with small steps is not the only lesson to be learned from flowers. Let’s take a second to look at other important factors in happiness that can be found in the ground.

• You need the right soil to survive. Some plants prefer acidic soil while others will only thrive in alkaline or neutral. Make sure you’ve planted yourself in the right environment for you to grow. If you haven’t, remove yourself from the unhealthy environment and found the right location. And the right location DOES exist…you might just have to search for it.
• Get a little sun every day. I could write a whole article on this concept and all the ways it can be interpreted. But for simplicity’s sake, let’s take this literally. Even if it’s not a lot, try to get a little sun and fresh air every day. It can change the way you look at the world.
• You need proper watering and nutrition. Again, another concept that we could take a long time to write about its many meanings. But simply put, make sure you’re treating yourself well. Give yourself the nutrition you need and your body will function better and your overall health and happiness will improve.
• You won’t look like every other flower. As a matter of fact, if all flowers looked the same, the world would be a very boring place. Each flower will grow uniquely, in its own timing and place, but each will be beautiful in its own way. Don’t discount your story because it doesn’t look like someone else’s.

Related: 7 Reasons Change Is Important – Why We Need To Give Change A Chance

Bringing it all together

Audrey Hepburn once said, “To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.”

After all, who would plant a garden believing that the world will end soon?

And as we’ve discussed, there’s a lot to learn from gardens and plants and flowers. Each lesson uniquely applying to your situation.

Let the hope found in the garden give you a bit of hope for your future.

You can find more on my gardening exploits on my YouTube channel.

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