We Bloom Slowly.
Arriving in our own time.
Soul Wisdom is a weekly newsletter. Please feel free to share parts of this letter that connect with you, or send to someone you love. A special shout out to all the new subscribers who joined since the last newsletter. Thank you for valuing my work when there are so many things that can take your attention online. I appreciate you. It means everything. 🖤
We Bloom Slowly.
“The day you plant the seed is not the day you eat the fruit.” — Fabienne Fredrickson
This morning I didn’t want to write anything. I was sure that I had nothing to say because I felt too stretched already.
As I leaned into that feeling of being stretched, my old Stretch Armstrong toy figure came to mind.
I’m not sure how many of you remember that toy from the 90’s but it was one of my favourites. I hadn’t thought about him in years.
Maybe he came to help.
You’d pull and twist him, and then slowly, over time, he'd return to his original shape. He was one of my favourite toys as a kid, along with K’nex!
Maybe when we move into new life events, we’re like Stretch Armstrong. You’re stretched into a new situation — a new job, a new home, a new relationship, a new business, a new baby.
Stretched.
Then slowly, as you find your rhythm, you return back to yourself. But it’s a new normal. A new version of you. Slightly different than the one you were before.
I went for dinner with two of my closest friends last night. I’ve known them both for over 20 years. It’s such a gift to still live close enough to each other that we can physically see each other and exhale without much planning. It was like balm to my soul. The kind of balm specifically made for when you’re feeling stretched and need to remember who you are.
I notice how the topic of our conversations have evolved over the years as we have evolved. What we once worried about, isn’t a worry anymore. There are new worries. New reflections. New dreams. New questions. New answers. It’s a gift to be able to express and explore them together.
One of my friends was talking about his younger brother, who is 23 and struggling with direction in his life. It got me thinking about direction and how we feel pressured to map out our lives early on, as if we’re supposed to know the route before we even start the journey. It’s not like we have a manual. We make one as we go.
The work that I began doing in coaching and talent acquisition, I had no idea it even existed when I was in school. So how could I have possibly made the perfect plan for my life?
For a while that made me feel ashamed. That I was slower than everyone else.
The truth is, we bloom slowly.
It takes time to find direction.
It takes time to come into your own.
Sometimes we have to experiment to find what works for us. We’ve lost the ability to experiment without expectation — to give ourselves permission to truly find what we enjoy, to slowly dial back in to who we are and what we want in all areas of life.
I didn’t find my first official corporate job until I was 25. By then, most people I knew were already being promoted in their jobs, some had moved out, some had married. By 30, many had mortgages, children, cars, lives that seemed fully mapped out. I’ll be 33 soon. I’m renting an apartment (I’ve always wanted to live in one). I’m dating my partner
(you can read our love story here) and we’ll get married on our own timeline, not when society says we should. I have no car. Honestly, I’m at peace and I’m still finding my rhythm with life.We bloom slowly.
Don’t rush to look like you’re blooming when inside you don’t feel ready. Let the blooming happen naturally. Don’t feel the pressure to bloom before your roots are ready to hold you.
Even Stretch Armstrong had many failed experiments before they finally found a formula that worked — and eventually, he became a classic.
At first, they tried using rubber, foam, even sand and water. Each idea fell apart. Too heavy, too messy, too fragile.
It took many experiments, unexpected messes, and a lot of patience before they finally found the perfect blend: a thick corn syrup center wrapped in strong, flexible latex skin. Only then did Stretch Armstrong become the toy we all remember — built to stretch, bend, and return to form without breaking.
And maybe that’s what life is like too.
We experiment. We fail. We leak a little, we get stretched too far sometimes. But eventually, we find the formula that allows us to stretch, grow, and still come back to ourselves. Stronger and more resilient than before.
Trust your slow bloom.
With love,
V
If my words have helped you in some way, I humbly invite you to consider upgrading your subscription to paid as a way to show your support. It would mean the world to me as I pour my soul into each piece I share.
Working with me
If you’re wanting to do any of the following then reach out to me:
live with more courage,
discover and speak your truth confidently,
understand your emotions and your patterns,
set boundaries with family members and others,
deepen your relationship to yourself and your partner.
"Trust your slow bloom". Yes, yes indeed. Thank you for this.
Love you xx