Winter Daffodils

This week I can’t help but smile each time I pass by the budding daffodils on our property. It’s January. Mid-winter at our home in the mountains of North Carolina. It’s not time for daffodils. 

It’s not time. That is what my brain likes to tell me…

I spent most of my winters more than 800 miles north of this place where I write. Five winters later and my brain still can’t quite make sense of January daffodil sightings. One of my first reflexive thoughts is always - “It’s too soon! Give it a few more weeks and things will be better out here for you. It’ll be easier in March.” 

But the daffodils don’t shy from the cold. They aren’t waiting for things to be easier. Their goal isn’t to be safe and protected from the seasons. They are here to get a sneak peek of the blue skies, to experience the sun, and make their presence known before they bloom even brighter weeks from now.

They are challenging us to learn how to grow in any environment. To make our own rules. To stop waiting for “the right time” and to show up for ourselves now.

Challenge accepted.