We might think we are nurturing our garden, but of course, it's our garden
that is really nurturing us." -- Jenny Uglow
In the garden of our life do you feel it is more important for you to plant flowers or to pull weeds? This was a question that was posed to me this past week that peaked some wonderful conversations. Initially, I think that it is easy to struggle with the riddle of it all. One side or the other must be correct, right? Well, let me weed out my garden take out all of the negatives in my life and I’ll be left with beautiful, deep, rich, gorgeous soil. In our lives, this might translate to mean freeing ourselves from negative people, habits that no longer serve us, removing toxic food and drink from our bodies, etc. There is no question that weeding is an essential part of tilling our garden. On the other hand, what would a garden be without the decoration of our beautiful flowers? So, what are our beautiful flowers in life? Perhaps, it is creating a supportive circle of people in your life, surrounding yourself with friends and family, creating an inviting environment that supports a positive mindset, feeding the body nourishing food and drink, etc.
This question has reminded me of the importance of balance in my life. I know that I can’t just run from the negative things and people in my life and that I also can’t overwhelm my schedule with things that I may perceive to be positive and healthy. Balance is everything.
When this question was posed to me, I realized that I have spurts. There are times in my life that I get energized, excited, and motivated to do and be healthy. So, during those times, I plant all sorts of flowers in my garden and wait for them to grow. The problem that I’ve had throughout the years, is that I often forget to weed my garden. My weeding might show up as poor time management, spreading myself too thin, not having healthy boundaries with those around me, etc. The beauty of all of this is that when I look at the picture as a whole, there is clarity. We have complete and utter control of our garden and our life. We just need to care enough about our garden to do both – planting and weeding. A garden takes time and effort and love. We need to take that kind of time and effort and love in our own lives. We also need to recognize that when we fail to take the time we are left feeling depleted. The flowers are strangled by weeds, the colors dull, and once it becomes overrun, we often throw our arms up and give up altogether.
It’s spring! Ice melts, grounds thaw, seeds are planted and flowers blossom. This is the time of year that the earth comes to life once again. I think this is the perfect time for all of us to take a chance on ourselves once again. What do you say?
What is your garden going to look like?