In a few weeks, I’ll be photographing a Love Yourself Workshop (if you’re local to Long Island, I’d love for you to attend. It’s going to be empowering) with one of my favorite creatives, Hometown Flower Co. Their motto is to embrace your roots, and while on the outside it feels like they’re referring to local flowers, for me, that sentence motivated me in a way I never experienced before.
“Embrace your roots.”
When I close my eyes and envision “roots”, I think of an old willow tree in full blossom, swaying in the wind, with old roots bumping above the ground. Below the surface, there’s an entangled web of history, nutrition, and endless growth deeply engrained into the ground, allowing the tree to sway and take on any storm.
For the better half of the last decade of my life, I didn’t have roots. I’d start growing and find that the soil was toxic, so I’d plop myself in a glass of water to propagate until I found a new pot to find nutrients and enrichment- it was up to me to curate the right atmosphere for my growth, but I didn’t know where to start.
Since our first collaboration many moons ago, I have thought about embracing your roots and what that looks like. Is it an obvious shift in power? Is it a measure of isolation? Will one know when we’re embracing our history and nourishing our deepest desires, or will we always feel like we’re on a never-ending cycle of dead ends and missed opportunities? Will I always be in a contained glass of water, or will I find a place to grow and mature?
And, throughout all the time thinking about this simple sentence, I have seen myself gravitate towards things that bring me joy, instead of worrying about all the noise outside of it. I have found myself rooted in my peace, which looks like intentional thinking, writing, reading, boundaries, texting less, and being present more. I have found myself in love with myself.
My dear friends, to embrace your roots is to love yourself. It is a continuous effort of small, micro shifts that bring us to that answer, too. It does not happen all at once, we will not grow overnight- but, if we take care of our joy, soon, we’ll find our growth.
To embrace your roots is to protect your peace, and there is no better feeling than that. For so long, I thought chaos was creativity unhinged. I was wrong. To have stability is to be able to dream bigger. To be rooted in your power is to know that you might not have the “how” figured out, but there’s a higher purpose to your calling. To embrace your roots is to be happy.
On this Monday, I want to challenge you to look for your joy and follow it like a beacon of light.
JOURNAL PROMPT OF THE WEEK:
Write 5 things you love about yourself and one thing you hope to change.
Easy enough, no? For some reason, I have a feeling the second part of that prompt will be easier for most… don’t let it be.
I’ll go first:
I love______________
I love my contained optimism. To know the ugly of the world but still contain hope that life can still be all you dreamed of isn’t easy, and I’m proud that I still carry hope strongly, albeit less freely.
I love my compassion.
I love that I’m growing to become more and more proactive, and not giving time or space to being reactive.
I love my strong arms, and I love watching them become more toned and defined.
I love how quick-witted I am.
One thing I hope to change is___________
… how easily distracted I can become from one project to another. I am proud that I have so many ideas, but my goal this year is to stay consistent and stop putting myself in the “you have to get ALL THIS DONE NOW frenzy.” I have time, and I will achieve my goals, but only if I stay consistent.
I’ll see you Thursday for a little bit of Salt, friends. As always, thank you for being here. Thank you for reading what brings me joy.