“Où le Dieu a vous semé, il faut savoir fleurir.”

Wherever God has planted you, you must know how to flower.

Some years ago while in France, I visited the town of Grasse and the Fragonard Musée du Parfum.  It was here that I first experienced the aroma of Lavender.  It did not occur to me at the time that there could be lavender farms back in the United States.  And this past week I had the pleasure of visiting one right here in the state of Connecticut nearby where I live.

The lavender plant is an aromatic, perennial herbal shrub that produces beautiful purple flowers.  Plants may be well-suited to a particular climate, but whether they thrive or not depends partly on the soil used to plant them.

But it’s the root system below ground that helps the plant to flourish.  And people are no different.  A healthy root system will help a person to flower as well.

Have you ever wondered how certain people manage to adapt and even to thrive no matter what conditions they face?

I was reminded of this earlier this week when I watched a short clip of a young girl who had been born without arms.  She learned to play the piano with her toes and had an unbelievable voice.  She was appearing on one of those talent-based reality shows.  How did this human being adapt physically to her disability and rise above her circumstances?

How we perceive happiness, joy and satisfaction in life may be influenced by our personality, our viewpoint and also by stress, income, anger, health, support systems and so many things.  When something changes in life as we know it will, in order to adapt, we must pay attention to our “human” sturdy root system.

Below I’ve listed some ways (think: a root system) you can learn in order to adapt and flower in your own life:

Embrace new choices with curiosity.  Stop saying “but.”  Examine new things from a different perspective and continually try to see things from another’s point of view.  Be curious and develop an open, not a judging attitude.

Let life flow.  Trying to control life doesn’t work.  Life is unpredictable so it’s best to develop a readiness to roll with its punches as well as its possibilities.  And be ready to let go of attachments because change is inevitable.

Get moving (physically, mentally and spiritually).  This is a key piece of advice I learned from my dad.  When you’re feeling worried, nervous or afraid – these are the times to get yourself in motion whether it’s going for a walk, observing nature or reading a good book.  Now is a good time to expand your horizons.

Take care of your health.  Work on building healthy habits.  Eat better, sleep well, reduce stress, play well and pay attention to self-care.  It’s hard to flower when you’re feeling run-down.  Adapting to new circumstances may require an alert mind, a strong body and a trusting spirit to see you through trying times.  It takes faith and trust — the Universe is looking after us.

Build your adapting muscles.  Do something that scares you, change a habit and/or develop a sense of humor.  Look for opportunities and see possibilities.  Set the intention to rise above your circumstances.

Implementing any or all of the five “roots” referred to above will help to improve your personal strength.  Whatever your point(s) of resistance, I hope you will experiment with the above list and not focus on obstacles when life takes a sharp downward turn, hits a wall or throws you off course.

And since I’ve been thinking about lavender all week, you may want to try some lovely lavender honey tea!  Lavender has many healing properties, too, including soothing anxiety and stress, which often accompany a change in circumstance.

(A Word of Caution:  Ingesting, inhaling or applying lavender to your skin may produce negative side effects.  Take note if you are susceptible to allergens related to the mint family.  Also, take note of other products that interact with lavender.)

My question to you is:  do you flower (or wither) when faced with changing circumstances?  What do you do to move yourself forward?  What is your best suggestion for dealing with changing conditions?  And have you experienced the healing properties of lavender?  Please comment below.  I’d love to hear from you.