Ah yes. Spring is here, the messy growth, the smell of poop wafting in the air (read why here), and to add to that? A powdery yellow dusting of pollen. Covering every available surface, including my dog whenever he goes outside to pee. He doesn’t seem to care, but the yellow tinge to his grey fur coat does not look cute.
My youngest came to me and said “Mama, there is a path of pollen on the floor.” She then positioned me so I could see the path of pollen also covering the kitchen counter and little pictures she had drawn in it.
Solution: Close up the house and turn on the AC.
Spring Showers and Yellow Powder
Before you ask me why we had the windows open during high pollen count season, let me just say: We had been experiencing unseasonably warm weather for spring (low 80s) and were enjoying the breezy days and cooler nights. Rain was in the forecast for two evenings in a row and we were counting on it to wash away the yellow stuff.
Ugh. The path of pollen was everywhere, so I spent the better half of a day deep cleaning window sills, countertops, and floors. The messy growth kind of clean up that leaves the house feeling fresh again. I felt confident that I got it all and it finally rained. Relief seemed like it was here, but the damage had been done.
When the Pollen Creeps Inside
We were all suffering.
My throat was so dry it felt as if I was ready to rip it out to get some relief.
My oldest little boo had dark circles around her puffy little eyes from rubbing at the itchiness.
I stopped saying “Bless you” to my husband–his sneezing just wouldn’t quit.
I’m still finding bits of pollen in the house I missed during my deep clean.
Why do we even need pollen in the first place? It just makes everyone miserable, much like the smell of manure that has been spread in the fields surrounding my house.
A quick Google search jolted loose long-blocked memories of middle school science. The anther. The stigma. Plant speak for the birds and the bees. Pollen: When flowers can’t keep it in their pants.
Ah yes, pollen is produced by the anthers and flung out into the world with the hopes that it finds the stigma of a flower so that it can fertilize and create seed development. Ya-da-ya-da-ya-da.
A Trail of Messy Growth
At first it just felt like a mess. But pollen’s whole job is to make things grow. Which makes me wonder…what in my life is leaving dust trails of chaos–but are actually the start of something new?
Pollen is messy—it clings to every surface—but it’s also essential for growth.
Where are you trying to grow right now?
Think about it.
Is it your health? Your relationships? Your career?
Is it just keeping the kids alive while remembering to drink water?
Wherever it is…I hope you know it’s okay if it feels like a mess.
How many times have you felt like you are leaving a messy wake in the process of your growth?
If it feels like a mess, then you are probably doing it right. At least according to nature.
Why Messy Growth = Necessary
Here’s the deal: Growth is messy. What worked for you 10 years ago or even 10 weeks ago may not work for you now. Different decades of our life mean different things for our bodies. It’s more than that for women though. Day 7 hits much differently than day 26. IYKYK. If you don’t know, check out the facts here (I promise it will help you understand your life better).
If it is true that my body works differently on a week to week basis, it is definitely true that my growth journey works differently on a year to year basis. That matters. To grow, we have to test what works in this phase of life…and that is MESSY.
It is OKAY to be messy. More than that, it is EXPECTED for you to be messy if you want to grow.
The Postpartum Plot Twist
Nothing hit me quite as hard after the birth of my first daughter. Before having kids, if I wanted to see growth in my physical appearance, I would limit my calorie intake. Less calories in a day meant more growth towards my ideal weight. So naturally when I was transitioning back to work and trying to make my pre-baby professional clothes fit, I cut calories.
Jump ahead if you know this story from your own experiences…but sweet little naive new mom didn’t know. It wouldn’t work. Pregnancy transformed my body in a way I didn’t understand. I cried, bought a new wardrobe, then embarked on a very messy growth journey to figure out my physical health.
It was uncomfortable and messy. Read more about that journey here and how I give grace to the woman I am becoming. I’m grateful for that mess and I’m thinking back on this journey now because I want to explore what other messes I need to experience to grow.
My perfectionist nature makes me feel like I have to master something before I can move on to the next stage of growth, but I’m starting to believe that is not the right answer. Messy growth is the path to success, not perfection.
A Blooming Reminder
Maybe the path to growth is throwing out a few hundred molecules of pollen in the hopes that a seed will start to develop. Personally, I’m trying to grow my passion and spark for life. I started this blog with the intention of creating a post Every. Single. Week. Lately I’ve only been managing one post a month, but this time last year I was having a panic attack over sharing my blog with anyone I knew.
So yeah, it’s messy.
But mess is where the growth starts.
You’re not behind–you’re blooming.
So wonderful woman, what does messy growth looking like in your season?
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