1.
to prosper; be fortunate or successful
2.
to grow or develop vigorously; flourish
I
used to be aware only of the first definition.
In
more recent years, I have come to understand that flourishing (to flower),
growing vigorously (unimpeded wellbeing), developing (movement toward
wholeness) constitutes the most vital definition of “to thrive.”
The
former refers more to material goods, cognition, or fate.
The
latter refers to the blessings of the heart, the abundance of wisdom, the
wellspring of holding balance in the extreme face of things.
A
friend wrote to me the other day to tell me what she had taken away from our
time together. She said she has resolved to add beauty (particularly from the
natural world) to her moment-by-moment experience when she is faced with
adversity, troubles, despair, irreconcilable differences, apparently unresolvable
dilemmas, rough patches.
The
next day I came across an essay I wrote several years ago about an experience
with an elderly hospice patient who had been given the diagnosis: “failure to thrive.”
Over
the past few weeks, my family has gone from an unexpected and formal request to
imminently vacate what had been our home - to finding a new haven, a new
geography, a new landscape, a new hearth. Amidst a very full work schedule, this
immediate submersion in the upheaval of packing boxes, looking for an
affordable place to live, address changes and the myriad other logistics
associated with relocation of home and office also became an opportunity for
long-sought-after change. We can go
wherever we want! What landscape will best serve us personally and professionally?
When seeking counsel from my wise mentor about how to stay calm during this
storm, she asked me what I wanted and needed in order to thrive. I voiced
just two items: quietude and natural
beauty. We have found both. We are in a place we can thrive.
My
loved one remarked this morning, “Have you seen how fat those birds are in our
yard?” Together we peered out the sliding glass door of our new home just after
dawn and giggled as we watched the obviously-thriving robins gathering their
first meal of the day.
All blog images created & photographed by Jennifer J. Wilhoit unless otherwise noted. Please circulate images with photo credit: "©2015 JenniferJWilhoit/TEALarbor stories. AllRightsReserved."
