Flourishing is to live your life in such a way that you are constantly changing and growing in a direction and ways which you desire. Flourishing means that a person is able to pursue and has the possibility of achieving that which they want in life. Like the other constructs discussed in this paper, flourishing does not have definitive boundaries or expectations. There is no checklist to decide whether or not a person or a community is flourishing.

            For some, survival is flourishing. On a trip to Belize, I was blessed to go on a river boat ride. During this excursion, we saw wildlife, crocodiles, birds, small monkeys, etc. We also passed by a family that lived on the edge of the river. A woman hanging bedraggled pieces of cloth on a line next to a small lean-to construction, I wouldn’t even call a shed, surrounded by plastic barrels which collected rain water for drinking, smiled and waved. Small children played around her also waved and smiled. They asked nothing of us, received nothing from us, had nothing to give us aside from their friendly giving, and yet they seemed to be flourishing.

            For others, there is no achievable concept of flourishing currently available to them. While working in-patient mental health, I had many clients who had incomes more than I could ever dream of. They had large homes, fancy cars, sent their children off to the finest medical and law schools, and yet, they sat in a psychiatric ward wanting to end their own lives. Somehow, a woman wearing rags while her children played in crocodile infested waters was happier.

            Flourishing involves a strong sense of acceptance for who you are, what your circumstances are, what you expect from life, and what you give back to honor that life. It involves an understanding of place and purpose. To me, flourishing is working toward being the best you that you can be and being content with your progress.

            From my professional standpoint as a minister, flourishing means understanding that you are created for something, when you are on the right path toward that “something” you will flourish. When you have diverted from that path, you will stagnate, degrade, and move away from flourishing. From a more secular therapeutic standpoint, it may involve a greater understanding of your place in the larger scheme of thing. I lean toward existentialism a lot. As a creature that is on this earth now and one day will not be, what would make you feel as if you accomplished something worthwhile while you are here? What do you believe is worth doing?