ALLOW YOURSELF TO EXPLORE

You never know when a small change in how you approach moving through each day can make a big difference. There's a hidden lesson in the way vines approach upward movement that we can learn from, too:

Vines are plants that like to climb up things. They can often be found on trees, walls, or fences. They have special parts called tendrils that reach out and grab onto a trellis or other support. The tendrils wrap around the trellis and hold on tight, helping the vine grow upwards towards the sunlight.

When thinking about flexibility in your own life and how you, too, can spring up from your roots and upwards toward the sunlight, look for areas where you have room to adapt and change:

A feeling of joy you're allowing by spending time returning to a project you had to delay
A connection you're deepening with a friend or loved one
A sense of peace you're creating by focusing on aspects of your well-being that help find a sense of harmony in life

All of these are examples of how you can create flexible yet intentional space in your life where there is room for not only growth, but flexible growth. Places where the pressure is off to figure out everything from the beginning, and instead, at each new phase, you assess what you need and you continue to move toward the sunlight, as you do.

Just like how a vine's tendrils are able to flexibly reach out and find support, consider where you might be able to try new approaches to this kind of movement. A kind of movement that doesn't force you to rush or carry out a fast sequence. Yes, there are many areas of life where things will be much more fast-paced. And that is all the more reason to create a kinder, more mindful approach to where you are right now.

Find inspiration from how, for vines, this flexible rhythm of adapting and changing as they grow is not something that happens overnight. Instead, they quietly yet sustainably flourish and expand in their own way. And even though people might pass by each day and never notice those earlier stages, this is the very process that keeps them growing and stretching toward the sunlight like they were always meant to. You are free to continue cultivating space in your life to grow in the same way, knowing that even when you start with something small, such as seeking to build a connection with someone and creating a sense of peace as you do one activity, these are efforts that matter. By entwining with new experiences and new approaches, no matter how small they are, you are creating flexible, intentional space to flourish in your own way.

Allow yourself to explore how you can create space for flexible growth. It can be a physical space like a journal or a corner of your home where you make your own rules for how it's organized, or it can be a friendship or even a dream you have where you take off the pressure of having all the answers.

Let the process of embracing gentle adaptability open up the kind of new possibilities that help you thrive, much like how a vine's flexibility allows it to climb higher and flourish.

Allow yourself to take this time, even if it's just for a few minutes a day or an hour each week. To fall in love with a vine-like process in at least one area of your life. And let that be an invitation to welcome flexible, intentional growth.

More in this week's series called "Joyful Courage in Daily Life", only with a subscription in the Storyteller App.

More tomorrow…
Sincerely,
Morgan Harper Nichols
@thestorytellerco
@morganharpernichols