Last week, I noticed the iris on the north end of the house is trying to bloom.  In December. I mused about boundaries, limiting influences, and living out one’s assigned purpose. Here are my first take-away nuggets:

ignore the circumstances—do what you do
The iris is seemingly shirking its circumstances. It’s not allowing boundaries (the blooming season) imposed by some outside force (time of year/weather) to shift its focus from its core function: to bloom. It might not be quite the right time, but that iris is ready! And in the meantime, it’s producing a little unexpected joy.

change is not an option
In some fashion or another, and whether we choose to accept it or not, we must change daily. On the micro level, our skin cells regenerate. Hair grows. We age. Life happens. If we only operate within pre-defined boundaries, we risk missing great adventure.

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Lately I’ve been working on our organizational 3 year strategic plan. This exercise has forced me to be more objective and view it from the outside– the good, bad, and ugly—and be honest about what can be changed and what must be managed.  And I’m seeing two trends. We have some areas that, as the proverbial quip goes, “aren’t broken.” Yet I’m also seeing huge areas of opportunity. And in those areas of opportunity, we need to accelerate embracing the new way of doing things, even as we design on the fly. We need to start blooming now, or we may just miss it altogether.

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It’s unexpected to see this determined little iris in the midst of Christmas cheer. But just because something is unexpected, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be celebrated.