A New Pot

I love the New Year.  I love fresh starts.

Yet with each New Year, with each fresh start there is an expectation that things will be different than before.  And with that comes change.  Change is hard.  There is no getting around that one.

As I am embarking on a season of change, navigating the unfamiliar path, it is only natural to be fearful.  There have been many times when I have allowed my fear to keep me from change.  Times when fear caused me to miss opportunities, skip out on adventure, and deny a new challenge. When that fear paralyzes us, when it keeps us from moving forward it stunts our growth.

My friend Lyndsay is also going through a period of change.  She is walking the up-hill battle of refinement we must all go through in order to truly grow.  Recently she reminded me of a story.   It’s the story of our dear friend Tim.

Tim had a job in the suburbs that he loved. He felt his coworkers were like family and he had learned and grown and thrived in this role and environment. He could see himself there for many years to come; he even anticipated being a “lifer” on this staff.

Then he got an amazing offer in the city – an offer that seemed too good to be true. When he told his boss at his current job that he had an offer on the table, they quickly matched the salary and benefits and begged him to stay.

But something inside of him started to realize that change was on the horizon. His heart started beating for this new opportunity and direction.

He went on to tell me about a plant he kept in his office that was a gift from his co-worker. He said he watered the plant and took care of it but never replaced the pot that it had come in. He said that every week when the cleaning lady would come into his office she continuously pointed out to Tim that the plant needed a new pot. He told her week after week that he would get to it but he never did. The plant remained healthy, but small.

When Tim finally made the difficult decision to accept the new job in the city, he gave the plant to the cleaning lady so that she could continue to care for it in his absence. She was so excited about the gift that she went out that day and bought a new pot for the plant – a bright gold pot.

Later that year Tim came back to visit his old workplace. When he saw the cleaning lady, she excitedly said, “Tim! You must come see your plant. I kept it here and continue to take care of it.”

Tim said when he saw the plant he didn’t even recognize it. He said, “THAT is my plant?” In front of him was a flourishing and thriving plant. “Tim, I had such a difficult time getting that plant out of that pot,” the cleaning lady said, “You would never believe how root-bound it was! I didn’t want to get it out of it.”

Tim realized what a strong metaphor that plant was to his life.

In order to really grow and transform, he had to get a ‘new pot.’ But it wasn’t without struggle that he changed course. He had many roots that kept him in the old pot, roots that almost did not allow him to move forward.

It is so hard to change.  It’s hard to move from the comfort of home, from the “pot” we are used to.  It’s hard to say goodbye to a place or relationship.  It requires the untangling of emotions, the fear, the de-rooting from the familiar.

But sometimes we need to be replanted.  We need to allow ourselves the room to really grow.

Comments

One Response to “A New Pot”

1. Meghan says:

   December 22, 2009 at 7:36 am

   My friend Lyndsay who is mentioned above needs a shout out–since the original link isn’t working. Check out her genius at http://www.lyndsights.com