The funnest and most fulfilling part of my work is noticing people blossom in ways they may never have expected when we start working together.

I loved this part of my job when I worked in the corporate world where I was lucky enough to have roles where I could really see people and teams develop and grow. And it was the reason I wanted to continue working in this area after my move abroad.

As Mums Abroad we sometimes feel we have left behind parts of ourselves with each move, whether that is sustaining friendships, opportunities to shape and share our interestes and talents, places that nourish us, our loved ones who allow us to experiment no matter what.

In a new place, it isn't always immediately obvious quite how we will blossom and grow into our new selves in this different environment. 

So there may be a gap between arriving and feeling that you're showing the world (or yourself) how splendidly coloured your gorgeous blossom really is. It can be a long old gap.

We don't all want the same thing (fortunately) so your take on blossoming might not be a bold, public statement heralding HERE I AM! It might be a quieter sense of contentment, of movement forward, of peaceful fulfilment. Blossom isn't definable by any external measure, and certainly isn't up for competition.

Yet we can surprise ourselves sometimes with the kind of blossom we produce. Provoked by new friendships, a chance encounter, a different kind of environment or opportunity, by a restlessness and desire for change, we can find ourselves in a new SPACE and ready for something entirely unexpected.

Let's be frank, sometimes the sheer unheavalness of moving abroad can force us into this new SPACE.

It doesn't always feel like a great space to be in at first, or at second . . . or for quite some time. The space of transition can feel painful and tiring, and uncertain and worrying, and damn frustrating at times. We can find ourselves focusing on what we are cut off from, and all the things that are in the way to prevent us tempting in whatever we may want to bring into our lives.

But I believe that this sometimes turbulent and tiresome transition is also prompting us to do some serious rethinking. What now? How to make that work? When to make a start?



It is normal that this thinking isn't in a straight line - you may feel that you're flitting from idea to idea like a butterfly. And that's a part of the process. By testing things out, by experimenting and learning what you may like, what you might want, and what that could feel like - this is how you can start discovering what kind of things may be waiting to blossom inside of you!

So flit - and later, perhaps, commit - but above all, enjoy seeing what unfolds and blossoms in you this Spring.