How I Came About the Idea of B.L.O.O.M.

By Guest Blogger Megan Canady

As a massage therapist, most of my deep “come to Jesus” thoughts happen during my massage sessions. There is something about the calm stillness that allows me to get outside of my mind and listen to God. I often wish that my thoughts could be transitioned onto paper during this time, because I am the most creative and motivated while I am doing what God has called me to do.

Back in February of 2020, I took a leap of faith and moved my massage business to be closer to my home. This was completely out of my comfort zone and generated plenty of anxious questions. But something inside kept pushing me forward.

While dreaming of how this new space would look and feel, the word bloom kept coming to mind. I loved the earthy, grounded, refreshing feeling it gave me. The word bloom actually means to flourish or thrive, and in order for a flower to bloom, it needs to be rooted in the earth to get its daily nourishment. It isn’t overnight that a flower comes to bloom; it takes periods of rain and sun, darkness and light to get there. I related to this so much, as it’s not overnight that we develop an appreciation for the beauty in life.

I love acronyms as they help me to remember things…like Never Eat Soggy Waffles taught me North, East, South, and West. During one of my massages, I was thinking about how I could make this word come to life to help my clients and myself. I thought about creating a daily journal (click here for the bloom daily journal) using the acronym b.l.o.o.m. that would help me to bloom into the person God created me to be.

5 Ways To Bloom

B – Breathe. And Give Gratitude

The power of our breath is huge. If we stop what we are doing and take a few deep breaths, it resets everything. It is really hard to stay in a negative place when we are breathing deeply. While breathing I like to give gratitude, and it helps me set the tone for the day.

Journal: Write 3 things you are grateful for in your B.L.O.O.M. journal page.

L – Love. Love Yourself as Well as Others

I have always been good about loving others well, so much so that I would think more highly of others but so poorly of myself. People would tell me how humble I am, but really that humility was just me thinking poorly of myself. I was (and still am) very good at pointing out all of the things I am not good at. I have a mug that has the verse Psalm 139:14 on it and it says “you are fearfully and wonderfully made.” I would say this verse often to others, but did I really believe it about myself? Focusing on loving myself is big and hard for me, so how can I truly be loving others well if I am not loving myself well and cherishing who God created me to be? Ephesians 5:1 states that we are called to be imitators of God. Everything God does is out of love and that includes loving the very way we were created.

Journal: Write 3 things that you love about yourself. If it’s hard to think of 3 different things each day, write 3 Truths that God says about who we are and meditate on those.

(True Confession: This can be a struggle for me, because it means that I have to really think about who I am and sometimes it pulls out some things that I don’t love about myself.)

O – Outside. Enjoy the Beauty Outside and Move Your Body

I am reminded to appreciate the beauty of this world. I am so lucky to live in such a beautiful area, an hour from the mountains in one direction and the ocean in the other. Even in my own “backyard”, we have rivers and lakes and so many trees. I need to take a step back and really soak in all the beauty that surrounds me.

O – Open-Minded. God What Are You Inviting Me Into Today?

Is it just me or do you also hate when you have your day planned out and something throws it off? I like things to go my way, and I don’t adjust well when they don’t. Being open-minded and giving the day over to God has helped me in those moments of control, as well as making me more aware of how God may want to use me. I am not perfect, but I am thankful for His grace and persistence with me.

Journal: What do you need to surrender today to allow God to use you?

M – Me. Self-Care

It is so important to take care of ourselves. To refuel and to do things that bring us joy. I started washing my face morning and night. I am 33 years old and just now implementing this but it has been HUGE for me! It gives me 15 minutes to love myself in the morning and at night, to start and end the day feeling refreshed. Washing away whatever worries I have for the day in the morning and washing away the struggles I encountered during my day, at night. It has become a great reset button for me.

This B.L.O.O.M. acronym may seem cheesy to some and fail to resonate with others, but for me creating this b.l.o.o.m. reminder has helped me to see that to bloom is so much more than striving to be a perfect version of myself. It’s realizing that I must consciously work everyday to stop trying to be perfect. It means to learn to love my imperfections and to fully embrace my awkwardness and push through it and to accept the struggles and hard times as God’s way of helping me grow. Yes, we are perfectly and wonderfully made, but we need to accept that God’s perfection and the world’s view of perfection are two entirely different things.

To connect with Megan, email her at [email protected]