Grow Where You Are Planted

This past weekend, I was at a football game where my school was playing a school I formerly worked at. It has been awhile since I had been back and I was able to see a number of my former colleagues to catch up with them. During the small talk and catching up, I was asked a number of times about how I'm adjusting to my new role and how my family has been transitioning to our new home. In the moment, I gave the standard responses that one might give when catching up with people you haven't seen in awhile, but after the game was over, I sat in my car while traffic cleared out and really reflected on that question. As I sat there in the dark and watched fans clear out of the stadium and head to their vehicles, I had a sense of peace come over me because I am growing where I have been planted.

You see, I have been a number of places and moved my family around to further my career. At each stop, I felt like I had landed at the place I was meant to be, only to find out out some time later that I was being called somewhere else. I didn't move because I thought the grass would be greener in different pastures, but rather, because I felt the need to grow. Each stop along the way provided me challenges to face and opportunities that I couldn't even imagine. Still, there was that feeling inside of me that made me wonder what else was out there. Knowing that each move would put stress on me and my family, I embraced each opportunity as a gift that I have never taken for granted because each stop has blessed me with wonderful people and communities that have embraced me for who I am and put up with who I am not.

As I pondered this in my vehicle before I pulled out of the parking lot, I made a quick call home to my lovely bride to let her know that I would be home soon. Like most conversations we have, she asked me how my day went. She further asked me if I had a chance to see any of my old friends at the game and how that felt to be back around them. This time, I took the opportunity to go more in depth on my answer and told her that it felt good to be home and that I feel like I can grow where I have been planted. When I hung up the phone and began to pull out of the parking lot to head home, I continued to think the entire way home about the conversation that just ended because I felt like I was still missing something. I couldn't put my finger on it until I pulled into the driveway and saw the spot in our new home's yard where we had just removed a couple of  trees. At that moment, it hit me that it was time to start developing roots.

At the end of the day, we can all chase what we think we want in the hopes that it pans out for us in the long run. We can, and should, grow where we are planted, but at some point, we need to focus on establishing roots. For me, that time has come and I am so excited to see what I will grow into as part of the process.

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