How we might be similar to dried lentils & what we can learn by watching them

Let me tell you what got me thinking this week. It was something that happened at Forest School; if you follow my Instagram stories you probably already know I’m one of the FS leaders at my local primary?

… and if this is news to you, I’ll just quickly share that Forest School is all about helping small people build self-belief, by finding out just what they’re capable of … so it’s really similar to my day-job!

Anyway, what I wanted to share with you is this… when we went back into our Forest area after half term, there were some tiny plants in a tight patch right by the log seats, growing out of the bark mulch. They were totally unfamiliar and we scratched our heads for a bit… and then remembered how a paper cupful of dried lentils and beans had been dropped there one day, weeks ago. We’d laughingly challenged the kids to pick them all out of the bark, and then forgotten all about it.

Damned if those lentils, given just the right conditions, hadn’t still known (despite, we figured out, years dried up in a packet), exactly who they were and what they were here to do!

Wow! So then of course it was a great opportunity to talk as a group about this wonder of nature right there by our fire pit… and at the same time I had this thought… 

“Is this us, too? do we lie dormant whilst the conditions aren’t right for us to flourish? just… waiting, in that job-that’ll-do-for-now or whilst the kids grow bigger?”

Because I’m seeing this awakening in clients right now. This lentil-moment of “oh!! I’ve been on pause, and now I don’t want to be!”

Unlike lentils though, it’s not always as obvious what we could be, given the right conditions. Nor what those conditions are!

So my invitation to you is to start that conversation inside… are you waiting for something, some sunshine or warm rain, to tell you it’s time to do what you want, be who you are?

Or could you just start now? 

Here are some questions to get you thinking…

🌟when did you last feel like you? what was happening, what were you doing?

🌟what makes you smile, really smile wide, even if you feel flat?

🌟and in what small ways can you bring those things into your life right now?

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