How To Bloom Where You’re Planted | Musings About Self Improvement & Finding Contentment In Imperfection

Hello, dears! I hope you’re all doing well on this wonderful Saturday. It’s the day before Easter, and I can’t help but smile. I’m listening to a lovely worship playlist, and I’m feeling better then I have in a few days. I had a really horrific autistic meltdown a few days ago, and it’s taken me a while to recover from it, but I think I’m finally mostly over it. How are you all doing? Let me know in the comments below ❤

I’ve been seeing quite a few blog posts and YouTube videos about improving your life, and those definitely inspired this blog post. However, I’m going to be doing a different sort of spin on those posts. Instead of telling you a bunch of (unachievable) ways to change your life, I’m going to be giving you a list of ways to gently enjoy life this Spring. 

10 Ways To Make Life Just A Little More Wonderful This Spring

(Please note that you do not need to do any of these to achieve a fulfilling life. Life is what you make of it, and I understand that these ideas may not work for everyone. I’m just giving the things that have made life a little bit better)

1. Look for blessings in everything

Life can be pretty rotten, can’t it? And sometimes it can drag us down so much that we just feel like we’re drowning and there’s no way to find joy in anything. Trust me, I get it. I’ve been going through a particularly difficult depressive patch recently. And yet, despite that, there’s still little pinpricks of light. You just have to look for them. Did you know that in prison, Paul found excuses to sing? And dance? And be joyful? You too can find joy, no matter your circumstances. Maybe you’ll have to look a little harder, but there is joy. I can promise you that. Something I’d recommend is writing down the days blessings at the end of the day. It really changes your perspective ❤

2. Do some gentle stretching/yoga outside

Look out your window. It’s so incredibly gorgeous outside. Doesn’t putting a blanket on the ground in your backyard, and doing some gentle stretching/yoga sound just lovely? Need I say more? You can get in a workout, while enjoying that crisp Spring air. Just a few friendly reminders, be sure to put on sunscreen beforehand, and don’t push yourself too hard. Your body is a temple to God, and as important moving it is, pushing it too hard isn’t what the Lord wants for you. Take care of yourself, and pay attention to your boundaries, okay? 

3. Plant a garden

Ahh I’ve been slowly preparing a garden the last few weeks, and it has been such a therapeutic experience. You see, my dad built a garden a few years ago. Then he let it get overgrown. And now I’m uprooting the weeds and taking over the garden hehe. I…I highly recommend starting a garden. Even if you’re living in a tiny apartment, you can start one. Just use some yogurt cups as pots, and plant some indoor plants. See? Simple and thrifty.

4. Spend time in God’s word, soaking it up and hiding it in your heart

I have to admit, I’ve been struggling to motivate myself to read His word lately. But that’s beside the point. One thing I’ve noticed is that when I spend time in God’s word, I feel energized and joyful. There’s something so incredible and refreshing about reading the bible. I promise you, it’s not a waste of time. My moments spent reading my bible are moments well spent, and moments that I adore. They’re some of the best moments of my day (:

5. Listen to more worship music, and listen to less secular music

Let’s be honest. How does secular music make you feel? Probably, if you’re like me, angsty and angry. And somehow that feeling feels good. There’s a sort of high that comes with Olivia Rodrigo music. But…is it healthy? It’s not. The bible tells us to think on what’s true, right, and lovely. Does most secular music help you to think on that? I know how difficult detoxing from secular music can be, but I also know how rewarding it can be. Christian music isn’t always the easiest choice, but I’ve found that it’s the music that leaves me feeling the most uplifted and edified. 

6. Read some lovely books

Jane Austen novels make me feel british and feminine. Enough said XD. Okay but in all seriousness, there are so many wonderful books that are perfect for Springtime, that will leave you feeling happy and almost like a pixie. Some books I would recommend include Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott; All Along You Were Blooming, by Morgan Harper Nicholes; The Main Street series, by Ann M Martin; and Stargirl, by Jerry Spinelli. 

7. Try out a new creative hobby

Recently, I’ve been spending a lot of time doing watercolors, and friends, they’re so therapeutic. There’s something so satisfying about mixing water…and colors…and making a masterpiece. I’m still a beginner, and I mostly paint flowers, but it’s still so fun. Obviously, you don’t have to do watercolors. Maybe try knitting, sewing, drawing, poetry, writing, making flower crowns, bullet journaling, or blogging. Any of these hobbies will be exceedingly rewarding and fun. (:

8. Romantisize every aspect of your life

I see so much stuff everyday about how to romantisize your life, and I know it seems so cheesy, but it actually works. A week ago, I sat in my backyard, listening to a Jane Austen soundtrack, and reading an Anne Of Green Gables novel. I felt like a magical cottage fairy, and it was so incredible. But that’s off topic. What I mean by romantisizing your life, is listening to lilting harp music when doing school, putting self care first, and finding ways to make life more then just existing. Maybe I’ll do a blog post about this soon. We’ll see.

9. Go thrifting 

I love thrifting so much. Lately, I’ve been thrifting through ThredUp. It’s affordable, high quality, and sustainable. I’ve found so many cute vintage finds through ThredUp, and I’m always so satisfied with my purchases. 

10. Find contentment in where God has planted you, and dare to bloom there

Lately, something I’ve been having a hard time with finding contentment. I keep telling myself that “once I buy this skirt” “once I buy these pens” “once I do this” then I’ll finally be happy. And every single time, I’m left disappointed. Because these things can’t satisfy me. They just leave me longing for more. And I just find myself more and more discontent. I want to live somewhere more vintage and Cottagecore. I want a boyfriend. I want to be prettier. And quite frankly, this isn’t healthy. And it’s certainly not what God wants for me. He placed me here, with a purpose and a plan for why I’m here. And something I’ve been learning, is that He’s all that can satisfy me. The world can’t satisfy. It says it can. But it can’t. Only Jesus can satisfy. Because of Him, I’m slowly learning how to bloom where I’m planted. He put me here for a reason. And I’m willing to embrace that reason.

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I hope you all have a wonderful day after reading this post! *Hugs* What are some of your prayer requests? Let me know in the comments below (:

/ Ad Gloriam Dei /

it’s world autism acceptence day | 7 things i wish allistics understood about autism

hello, friends! i hope you’re all having a wonderful day (: so, as many of you are aware, it’s autism acceptence day (technically it’s autism awarness day, but, to quote chloe hayden in this video, “autism isn’t something we need awarness about. we already have awarness about it. it’s something we need acceptence about.”) yes i know that’s a paraphrasing of her original quote. i had actually forgotten today was autism acceptence day until q’zion posted something about it. and, as an autistic person, i thought i would share my thoughts on this day. hopefully throughout this entire month (april is autism acceptence month), i’ll be able to get around to posting various articles about autism. 

i know you guys almost never see me fired up and angry, but uh…i’m exeedingly passionate about autism…so, apologies for if i seem,,, annoyed or something.

as a quick note before we begin, i am only one autistic person. take what i am saying with a grain of salt. every autistic person is different, and every autistic person has different perspectives on various things i’ll be talking about in this post. i’m only sharing my personal experience ❤

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7 things i wish allistics understood about autism

*allistic means a person who is not autistic. they can be neurodivergent, but they’re not autistic.

1. autism’s not a disease.

oh. my. word. this is a huge pet peeve of mine. an example of this is how anti-vaxxers will say that they won’t vaccinate their children because their children could get autism, and yet they’re okay if their kids die from the disease that they should have been vaccinated against. i know people who think this way, and it makes me so mad. you’d rather have your kids die then get autism? i’m sorry, but that’s twisted.

2. for heavens sake, stop using the puzzle piece

when people think of autism, they think of the puzzle piece. *muffled screaming* i don’t like the puzzle piece. at all. why? well, while i don’t think that it says autistic people are missing a piece of themselves (although, if you’re autistic and think it’s saying that, that’s completely valid. i just don’t really get that vibe from it <3), i do dislike it because of what it evokes in my mind. in my mind, it makes me think of autism speaks, and just…the whole “neurotypicals speaking for autistic people” culture. i’m not mad if you’ve used that symbol in the past, for the record. i myself, before i was diagnosed with autism, would use the puzzle piece proudly in support of my younger brother who is also autistic. i get it, ok. i do. but at the same time…if you can avoid using the puzzle piece, please do. use the infinity sign instead. that’s one that’s widely approved by the autism community.

3. listen to autistic people’s voices

have you ever googled stuff about autism? i think most of us have. i know i have. and the thing is, most of the information that pops up is from neurotypical people who have only studied autism, and are essentially speaking for the autism community. i’ve found that these people tend to have a warped and cliche view of autism, and that it usually doesn’t fit what autism actually is. so please, when doing research about autism, try to pay more attention to autistic people’s voices, instead of allistic’s voices. chloe hayden is one of my favorite youtubers, and she’s autistic. i would highly recommend her if you’re wanting to learn more about autism.

4. please don’t be a part of the “my child has autism. woe is me.” trope

just…no. using your autistic child as a way to elevate yourself and make yourself seem like a superhero is just wrong. it’s one thing to acnoledge the struggles of raising an autistic child. trust me, i get that it’s not easy. it’s a whole other thing to use it to get attention. 

5. saying “you don’t seem autistic” is not a compliment

i’ve talked about this quite a few times on my blog, so i won’t elaborate more on this (check out this post for more information), but just…yeah. autism’s a spectrum you can’t “seem” autistic. i know you think it’s a compliment to tell someone they don’t seem autistic, but it’s not. trust me, as someone who gets told this all the time, i’m so sick of it. 

6. autism’s not caused by vaccines

friends, science has already disproved this. multiple times. and still, anti vaxxers say that autism is caused by vaccines. it’s so absurd. also, even if autism was caused by vaccines (which, it isn’t), would that be a good reason to not vaccinate your child? would you rather they die, or get autism? see the fallacies in that argument?

7. autism has a beautiful side

autism isn’t a hideous terrifying disease. it’s beautiful. because of my autism, i’m incredibly creative, i have so many things that bring me joy, and i’m unique. god made me autistic, and i honestly think that it brought him joy to make me autistic. he’s such a wonderful and creative god, so clearly, autism is just another thing that he’s using to show us how incredible he is. i think, at the end of the day, autism is just a different way of thinking, and in heaven, i’m going to be freed from the painful parts of autism, and will instead just have a special way of looking at the world. isn’t that lovely to think about?

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thank you all so so much for reading this post! i hope you all enjoyed it, and have a wonderful day today. *hugs* don’t forget to click like, leave a comment, and subscribe. i hope you all learned something new about autism ❤

what did you learn about autism from this post? let me know in the comments (:

/ad gloriam dei/