Guest Post – Are You Mere Alive or Are You A-Thrive?

Today’s post will be by my good friend and writing critique partner Stephanie Goddard. She’s an amazing storyteller.

Are You Merely Alive, or Are You ‘A-Thrive’?

By Stephanie Goddard

I am a farmer.

It has taken me ten years to allow myself to utter those words. Yes, I am still learning. And yes, it is not the area’s biggest, most productive farm. But somehow along with my daughter, other family members, and a few part-time helpers here and there, I’ve been able to achieve at least some of my goals: learning to work the land, growing our food, and providing locally grown products to the community. 

But I am not a houseplant keeper.

I know that sounds surprising, since, after all, if I can grow 3 100-foot rows of green beans, a couple thousand heads of garlic, hundreds of pounds of tomatoes, and kale year-round, I should be able to keep a houseplant alive.

Actually, I can keep them alive.

But not thriving.

Case in point: Our church gave the moms a nice potted flowering plant last Mother’s Day. One of those you can get at the hardware store that says, ‘Proven Winner’ on the pot. Mine was pretty, with loads of pinkish-purple blossoms. I put it on my kitchen window sill to catch some sunlight until it was warm enough outside. Plus, I didn’t know where it would live out there. All the rows were planned out on graph paper for the vast array of vegetable seedlings. We hadn’t completed any landscaping on our newly built house yet, so an existing flower garden wasn’t an option.  

I waited, mostly busy with the spring farming tasks. Then it was summer. I managed to keep the houseplant in bloom. It helped that it was near my kitchen sink so watering was easy. The pretty purplish flowers brightened the view. But the stalks began to look a little lanky. I managed to occasionally ‘deadhead’ the blossoms. (Pick off the spent flowers to encourage new ones.)

I still had no place for my plant outdoors, and summer changed to autumn, and life didn’t slow down any. At this point, I knew it would make no sense to transplant my ‘Proven Winner’ outdoors because as an annual type of flower, winter’s freezing temperatures would be its death.

 

So on my kitchen windowsill it sat. And still sits, mid-winter, languishing. Most of the leaves turned brown, and some of the tiny stalks died—no purple flowers. Occasionally, I toss it the remainder of a glass of water. 

It is alive.

But it is not ‘a-thrive.’

There are times when I realize this about my life, too. I am alive, going through the motions of everyday life. I manage my tasks, get through the week. Alive, but I am not ‘a-thrive.’ I toss myself an occasional remainder of a glass of water. In this case, it might be spending a few minutes praying, or journaling.

Like my plant, our lives need more than just the bare essentials to thrive. As for houseplants, I’m no expert. But I would imagine, like my farm crops, the plant needs to be fed. It needs to be placed in fertile ground where it can get the perfect amount of sunlight. It needs to be watered in regular intervals and might even need to be pruned occasionally.  

As I wash my breakfast dishes, I look at my plant and wonder. What can I do to keep my life from withering? Might there be a life where I can thrive, like the flourishing houseplant that graced my windowsill last May?

I jotted down some ideas in answer to my questions. Of course, it may be different for you. But for me, to go from alive to ‘a-thrive’, I need to spend time with the Creator, my Lord. I need to pray, journal, and feed myself from the Word of God. I need to create. I need to spend time alone and spend time with others. I need to take time, even in all the busyness, to be present, to enjoy the beauty around me, and be thankful.

As I consider these, I worry that I may be unable keep up with all of them.  But if I can add even some of these among the fray of busy life, it is sure to make a difference.  

Are you merely alive, or are you ‘a-thrive’?

What are some ways you can let the houseplant of your life flourish?

And, if you are a houseplant expert, let me know if you have any tips!

 

Stephanie Goddard is a wife, mom Grammie, and author from Sandwich New Hampshire where she operates a small vegetable farm. She has won numerous awards for her Christ-centered contemporary women’s fiction, romance novels, and novellas. Stephanie is a contributing author to the devotional book, The Courage to Write (2021). Her passion for writing is birthed from her desire to show through story- the mighty, redemptive, and healing power of Christ.

Click on Stephanie’s picture to see her website.