Popping Into Spring

Everywhere you turn, you can see the signs of spring. New buds on the trees, daffodils blooming, birds singing, bees buzzing. Springtime has arrived. With new life popping up from the ground, I’m reminded of something my mom would always say to me growing up: “Popcorn is prepared in the same pot, in the same heat, in the same oil, and yet the kernels do not all pop at the same time. Don’t compare yourself to others. Your turn to pop will come!

Not all flowers bloom at the same time, not all trees put out buds at the same time. My favorite trees are crepe myrtles and they do not bloom until summer. If nature has this figured out, then why are we so slow to catch on! The daffodils don’t compare themselves to the rosebush. The pear tree doesn’t think less of the slow blooming crepe myrtle. The fact that all of nature blooms at its own pace should be example enough for us to stop putting so much pressure on ourselves to be just like everyone else.

You are right where you are meant to be! Enjoy where you are. I have spent a good part of my life wondering why parts of my life didn’t just “happen” to me the way it did for other people. Now that I have turned 40, I realize that my life is happening the exact way it is meant to happen. The other people I see when I look around who seem to have it all are struggling with things that I do not see. They look at me and wish they had what I have.

We do a good job teaching children to work hard for their dreams. We push them to achieve goals and dreams. Having the desire to go for your dreams is wonderful. But we need to also teach them that it is okay to fail, it is okay to not make the team, it is okay to not get the lead role. Your time will come. Keep trying, work hard, and be grateful for the life you have. Be gracious when you see others achieve things you are working towards, knowing that your time will come.

Enjoy your time in the heat because you are eventually going to pop. Your turn to pop will come. Until then, enjoy where you are. Take in the scenery. Be thankful for your blessings and keep working hard to achieve your dreams.

In honor of spring popping up all around us, this week’s recipe is a delicious popcorn snack, Apple Cinnamon Popcorn. It is healthy, it is delicious, and it is sure to please a crowd!

“Ask the Lord for rain in the springtime; it is the Lord who sends the thunderstorms. He gives showers of rain to all people, and plants of the field to everyone.” Zechariah 10:1