Death Valley is nestled on the eastern edge of California. Thought to be the hottest place on Earth, temperatures average 116 degrees in the summer months. In 1913, the highest air temperature ever recorded in that area was 134 degrees (at Greenland Ranch to be exact). That year during 5 consecutive days, temps hit 129 or above. So hot! Too, the area receives very little rainfall. Over a 40-month period from 1931 to 1934, Death Valley received only 0.64 inches of rain. Since official records have been kept, the area, on average, receives just 1.94 inches of rain per year! If that’s all the rain we got here in Northwest Ohio, our agricultural industry would go bust!
And due to the Valley being situated between the Mojave Desert and the Great Basin Desert, rainfall can be quite unpredictable. For the area to receive over an inch of rainfall in a month is quite rare. For the area to receive over an inch of rain in the Spring season, extremely rare! That’s why 2005 is a standout year for the Death Valley. You see, in that year, in January, the Valley got 1.84 inches of rain. Another 1.26 inches of rain fell in February. All in time for Spring season. And you know what happened? A lush carpet of wildflowers bloomed. In some cases, seeds that were dormant for over 30 years waiting for the right amount of rainfall sprung up to cover the Valley floor. What is typically a wasteland of dry nothingness, became a grand canvas of beauty as fields of yellow Desert Gold, purple Lupines and white Desert Star flowers covered the landscape.
Just the right amount of rain at the right time sprung a dormant seed to life.
Life’s kind of like that, yes? We hear a lot of stories of right-time, right-place moments. And I’m sure if you thought about it long enough, you’d think of a few for yourself as well. How about the moment you met the person who would become your future spouse? Or the time you landed that job? Or promotion? Or were able to run into that long-lost friend, or booked that last minute trip that worked to perfection?
But for the purpose of this writing, I’d like to spend a bit of time on those seeds. That’s right, those flowers that canvased the landscape wouldn’t have been there if not for the seeds. And, as a study of the 2005 phenomenon revealed, some of those seeds were dormant for over 30 years, waiting for just the right amount of rain to let their beauty to shine, their blossoms to bloom.
30. Years. Surviving the hottest and harshest of conditions, lying just below the surface…waiting. Dormant, but ready. Still, but sure. Inert, but energized.
What about you? What lies just below the surface in your heart and mind that’s ready to bloom? What positive impact has remained dormant in your life for such a time as this? What dream have you postponed waiting for just the right time, right place…but it’s just never come? What idea is being incubated in your head that could change the course of history, paint a unique canvas of life, or bless humanity?
What goal do you want to achieve?
What problem would you like to solve?
What level do you want to reach?
What dream do you want to live?
What better version of yourself would you like to become?
Is it time to awaken the dormant seed? Is it time to bloom, to let your light shine?
Oh, what’s that? You’re waiting for just the right amount of rainfall? The right time, right place?
I get it, I really do. But, could you consider that today might be that day?
Perhaps this is your time. Perhaps this is your place. Perhaps this is your day to make history. Perhaps waiting a day longer will only be to the detriment of yourself and others. Perhaps putting things off to tomorrow is no longer an excuse. Perhaps today is the right day. Perhaps this place is the right place.
“But the rain didn’t fall!” Make it rain.
“But the time isn’t right!” Stop making excuses.
“But the goal is too big!” Brick by brick. Do the work.
“But it might hurt!” Do hard things.
Stop delaying. Get moving. Take action.
As the proverb goes: The best time to plant a tree was 10 years ago, the second-best day is today.
Plant the seed. Water it yourself. Create the conditions necessary for your dream to shine.
See it bloom. See the grand mosaic that your dream creates across life’s landscape. Let your mind’s eye envision what could be…what must be.
Engage your purpose, your moment. Awaken out of your dormancy.
And live on purpose today.
