Life is Always Inviting You to Blossom
My daughter, Nova, dancing with Lord Shiva
Today, I'm sharing the third insight—or gift—I received while in India. (If you missed the last two, you can find them here and here.)
Growing up, my family traveled to India every few years. But being born and raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and St. John's, Newfoundland, I experienced the same level of culture shock as anyone else when we visited. This time, though, it had been eleven years since my last trip. I was eager to see India with fresh—perhaps more mature, wiser—eyes.
One thing I can tell you about India: it is RICH and ABUNDANT.
From the fragrant spices, lush flowers, and vibrant produce to the depth of Ayurveda, music, dance, Bollywood, embroidery, jewelry, textiles, and sculpture—creativity is woven into every part of life. It's also the birthplace of yoga, meditation, and some of the world's oldest spiritual wisdom. And now, it's a global leader in IT and innovation.
India is endlessly resourceful, innovative, and alive with possibility. And yet, alongside all this richness, poverty and deeply ingrained systems of bureaucracy still hold many people back. The contrast is stark—more apparent there than anywhere else I've been.
Yes, the disparity feels unjust. But somehow, it also reveals what is possible...
While in Pune, where my mom spends winters, I found a book on her small bookshelf titled Complete Meditation: From Doing Meditation to Being Meditation by Sirshree, a spiritual teacher. She didn't even remember where it came from, but over three weeks, I read it cover to cover. One passage, in particular, deeply resonated with me:
"The goal of human life is opening, blossoming and playing, ie. to explore all the possibilities within you…
To blossom completely in life, to achieve this goal, we should look around to see what system, what arrangement is present which we can utilise to reach our goal as quickly as possible. This is the goal of human life, the goal of each and every one of us…
Whatever one can do, one should do. You should not think about what others can do. A daisy does not think about a rose. What you actually are and what the real you can do, that is what you should think about."
This passage illuminated something so clearly for me. And that brings me to my third insight from this trip:
Insight #3: Life is always inviting you to blossom.
Your purpose in life is to blossom into the full expression of all that you are. Just as a flower naturally blooms into what it was meant to be, so too are we meant to step into our wholeness. That is the purpose of every living thing—including you.
Everything you need to blossom is already in front of you. That problem, that frustration, that opportunity, that dream tugging at you—it's not random. It's an invitation. Even the hard things, even the uncertainty—it's all a doorway into who you are becoming.
So, how is life inviting you to blossom right now?
And, are you willing to accept the invitation?
If yes, what does the next step look like? Look around and notice what is already available or within reach for you to move forward towards that goal.
See you next week for the final part of this four-part series.