Fighting off Fake Spring, Tulip Style

Well, it is official.  I have been home from vacation for one week today.  Some people like to say,"back to reality."  The truth is,  life's trials did not go away in Florida, they somehow just seemed better under the shade of the palm trees in my favorite pair of flip flops.  I suppose my return to upstate NY was made that much worse when nobody informed the weather that it was, in fact, spring.  In the seven days since I have been home, the kids have needed snow boots, hats and scarves and I don't think the sun actually shines in this area anymore.  Most nights have called for a fire in the fireplace and a pair of Ugg mocassins.  Add in some late shifts, lack of sleep and now I feel reasonably certain any amount of rest I got last week has completely worn off.

I trudged through last week, annoyed every day that I woke up and was no longer at the beach.  Morning after morning I found myself bundling up kids in their winter best much like the scene in "A Christmas Story" where in fact, they may not have been able to totally put their arms down.  All this,  just to get them down the driveway to the bus.  Around the second day of this, I found myself standing at the end of my breezeway looking at the front flower bed waiting for the bus with my 8 year old, when suddenly she said  "Look Mommy.  What is that?"   

There it was.  Thick green leaves poking through the spotty snow.  My tulips.  Here's the thing about me and gardening.  I am not a gardener.  I don't seem to have time to plant, prune, weed or fertilize, and I admittedly know very little about decorative plants.  So, years ago I developed an affinity for bulbs.  Year after year, with my absolute neglect, they rise and look beautiful anyway.  Not this year though.  Looks like our "spring"  may threaten even my low maintenance flower bed plan.  Freaking fantastic.   Yes, this was life away from the beach.  

Since the day I noticed the tulips coming, I have been waiting for them to appear dead.  Punishing snow, wind, freezing temperatures, yet every day they are a little bit bigger.  It is as if the tulip had decided it really didn't matter what was going on around it that should have made it nearly impossible to thrive, it was going to stand tall, show spring who is boss, and not take any crap from mother nature.

It makes me think of how many times we halt our own growth due to things completely out of our control, allowing the chaos of the trials of life to completely stand in our way.  We tend to wait for circumstances to change or for other people to prune us, pick the weeds around us, and spread the proverbial manure in the hopes that these will be the things that make us strong and propel us forward.  The reality is, by immersing ourselves in the chaos, we miss out on the fact that the ability to thrive truly comes from within. By missing this, we miss the amazing opportunity to learn what our potential actually is.  We always have the ability to grow more, be more beautiful and thrive despite what life may throw at us.  We just may forget this from time to time.

Today, it was pouring rain.  I am not at the beach.  I have traded in my flip flops for a down North Face, but every day I can see my emerging tulips not giving up their fight against fake spring and realize sometimes we just need to stop allowing the trials of life's crap to hold us back, and stand tall and grow, because, eventually the pay off will be the beautiful colorful bloom that will accent the entire yard.  Oh, and of further note, as of today, it would appear that the lilies in the other flower bed appear to be just as badass as the tulips.