For as long as I can remember, my father has referred to me as a “late bloomer.”
At an age when my girlfriends were into makeup and high heels, I wanted no part of that.
As friends got married and had kids, I was single.
As other friends advanced in their careers, I pivoted to new careers.
It seems like I’m perpetually “behind” the curve.
Always starting over, never quite arriving at a destination.
At 50, it seems I’ve firmly earned that label.
Maybe I’m in good company.
Lately I’ve been reading stories from women who are in their 50s and beyond.
They are publishing their first books, getting married, finally landing their dream job.
In a phase of life where society expects us to be on the decline, or at least well-established, these women are finally coming into their own.
They are blooming and flourishing two decades “behind schedule.”
Some have even described themselves as “late bloomers.”
But the more I hear that label, the more I cringe at it.
The term “late bloomer” is destructive because it assumes there is a correct timeline for becoming oneself, and it subtly blames a person who does not adhere to that timeline.
This is not how nature works.
(1) Nature Does Not Rank Timing
The concept of a “late bloomer” attempts to impose human productivity timelines onto organic processes.
But nature does not pathologize timing.
In nature, different flowers bloom at different times. We don’t call some “early bloomers” and some “late bloomers.” Rather, we understand that different species bloom at different schedules.
The early spring blooms are visually spectacular but not built for heat or longevity.
Cherry blossoms are an icon of beauty and impermanence, but their peak bloom is fleeting. Tulips bring color to early spring but vanish before the summer heat.
On the other hand, roses bloom in the late spring and stay through fall. Sunflowers don’t bloom until late summer; they require time, depth, and strong rooting.
(2) The Bloom vs the Fruit
The focus on the “blooming” ignores that later output that nature brings.
The timeline for bearing fruit is longer than the “blooming” timeline, but it’s the fruit that nourishes and sustains us.
Apple trees blossom in spring, but they don’t rush. Their fruit ripens slowly and is ready in the fall.
Grapevines are slow to establish, but produce over many years. And the timeline to turn those grapes into wine has its own slow cycle.
Olive trees take years before bearing fruit, but once established can produce for many years.
(3) Blooming is About Conditions
While some species are designed to bloom earlier, blooming is really more about conditions than time.
Flowers bloom when the seeds are planted in the right environment and given the right conditions: soil, water, sunlight, and care.
A seed planted in the wrong soil, or given too much or too little water, or too much or too little light, will not bloom.
The “late bloomer” label ascribes a personal failing to the individual instead of addressing an environmental reality:
- Was the soil appropriate and nurturing?
- Was there adequate emotional support (water) without having too much?
- Was there enough warmth?
- Was there safety to facilitate growth?
(4) Roots Sprout First
We tend to look to the moment when the seed sprouts through the earth as the first sign of a flower emerging into the world because that’s what we can see.
But before the seed sprouts up, it roots down.
This downward rooting gives the seed strength to push up through the soil.
Without this rooting, the seed cannot break the surface.
Without strong roots, blooming isn’t possible.
This rooting is invisible work.
It’s the building of internal structures, stabilizing and regulating the nervous system, repairing or rebuilding foundations, reclaiming self-trust.
This is “First-Floor” work.
(5) Autumn is the Harvest Season
Just like nature, life evolves in seasons.
Women in their 50s are often described as being in the “autumn” of life.
Autumn is often flattened into the “season of decay and decline,” when leaves fall off the trees and nature starts turning inward.
But that’s the later part of autumn.
The early part of autumn is about harvest: reaping the fruits after the summer of maintaining and tending to the crops. This is the time of balance, discernment, refinement, and sorting what matters.
It’s a period of receiving and visibility, sovereignty and self-authority.
The archetype of the autumn is the Queen — who sits on her throne and receives adulation.
It’s a time of ascendance to prominence.
This period of life is not about fading; it’s about collecting what has been grown — often for the first time.
This is not late blooming. It’s right timing.
The Confusion About “Late Bloomers”
“Late bloomer” is a term used to describe people whose timelines don’t match a culturally arbitrated “norm.”
It ascribes blame on a person instead of evaluating the conditions in which they’re planted.
It mistakes work happening beneath the surface for stagnation.
It ignores the impact of misaligned environments.
It doesn’t consider what type of seed is being nurtured.
Blooming doesn’t follow a clock schedule; it is contextual, seasonal, and dependent on right conditions.
In fact, the first part of autumn — initiated by Libra season in the wheel of the zodiac — is when we learn to embrace our own rhythm and timing.
If you’ve been labeled as a “late bloomer,” I invite you to consider that you are blooming in your right timing.
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