From Bud to Blossom

How am I really?

We celebrate birthdays, weddings, and milestones — yet so rarely do we pause to honor ourselves.
Not the roles we’ve played or the people we’ve supported, but the quiet, steadfast ways we’ve grown.

When was the last time you stopped and looked back — not with judgment, but with curiosity and tenderness?
What were your dreams as a child? Did you follow them, or did life guide you elsewhere?
Perhaps your story unfolded differently than you once imagined, yet beautifully, in its own rhythm.

We measure so many things in life — success, status, milestones — but seldom do we measure our becoming.

The Wisdom of Desiderata

In Max Ehrmann’s timeless poem Desiderata, he reminds us:

“Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.”

These words invite us to soften into acceptance — to find calm in the middle of chaos, and to see our own worth without needing to prove it.

Ehrmann’s message is simple and enduring: be gentle with yourself, be true, be at peace with who you are.
Each of us walks a different path, unfolding in our own season, like a lily opening from bud to blossom.
There’s no rush, no comparison — only the sacred unfolding of life itself.

As B.K.S. Iyengar writes in his book Light on Life, “How am I really?”

The Comparison Trap

In a world that measures success through highlights and appearances, it’s easy to lose ourselves in comparison.
Brené Brown reminds us, “Comparison is the thief of joy.”
When we compare, we shift our focus away from gratitude and toward illusion — the false idea that someone else’s life defines our value.

But comparison doesn’t just steal our joy; it often steals our peace and our financial well-being.
Envy and social comparison can quietly drive overspending — chasing a lifestyle, look, or status that doesn’t fit who we truly are.

Before you buy, commit, or strive for something, pause and ask:
Am I chasing a lifestyle that’s right for me — or one that belongs to someone else’s story?

The truth is, happiness and fulfillment don’t come from matching someone else’s version of “enough.” They come from honoring your own rhythm, your own needs, your own values.

Honoring Your Becoming

Take a breath and acknowledge all you’ve moved through — the strength it took to begin again, the wisdom that came from mistakes, the courage to stay true to yourself.

Like the lily, we open slowly.
Some days we reach toward the sun; other days we rest in the quiet shade. Every stage, every petal, holds its own kind of beauty.

Your worth isn’t measured by what you’ve achieved, but by how you’ve evolved — how you’ve loved, learned, softened, and continued to show up for your life.

A Gentle Practice

Find a quiet moment this week to sit with your journal or reflect.
Ask yourself:

• What am I proud of that I’ve never said aloud?
• In what ways have I changed for the better?
• What would my younger self admire about who I’ve become?
• Do I have any regrets — things I once wished I had done or completed?

Then gently ask: Do those things still matter to me today?
If they do, make a plan — even a small one — to begin.
Take one step toward them so that when your final day comes, you won’t whisper, “I wish I had,” but instead smile and say, “I’m glad I did.”

Please write it down, or simply hold it close. You don’t need applause or validation — your acknowledgment is enough.

Final Reflection

As Desiderata reminds us:

“You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
You have a right to be here.”

Celebrate that truth.
Celebrate you — the woman who has weathered seasons, learned her rhythms, and continues to bloom with quiet strength and grace.

You are still becoming, and that in itself is something worth celebrating.