Photo taken in Sanlucar de Barrameda, Spain. If you thought this was from my yard, thank you!
Spring has finally sprung. Hurrah!! I am so excited to have warm weather and longer days again. Last weekend was the first time this season I spent time in my yard. Let me set the record straight — I only dabble in gardening. I enjoy gardening before the temperature sizzles and the insects multiply – which means only through May. I allow my husband to do his version of gardening (hint – it involves an electric saw) for the rest of the summer. I know, I know, I should do more to help but I really hate mosquitoes. Oddly, a mosquito’s love is unconditional and apparently those buggers cannot get enough of me. But, I digress.
I love this time of year when I see the new growth on trees, shrubs and in the flower beds. I find inspiration in the tiny green shoots that I uncover under the dead shriveled remnants of last year’s plants. Pruning and removing the dead stuff to allow new life to flourish is my absolute favorite part of garden work.
Last weekend was my birthday. I don’t know if any of you feel this way, but for me every birthday feels like a new start – like a rebirth. At some point in the day, between the happy birthday wishes and my bedtime gratitude prayer, I will think about what I have not yet done in my life. Then I wonder if I have enough life left to complete the journeys and experiences that are on my bucket list. As I was pruning some of the bushes and trees in my yard I couldn’t help but sense a parallel to my own feelings of rebirth. What old dead weight am I still carrying that is preventing new thoughts and ideas to take hold? What old shriveled beliefs and negative messages are blanketing my thinking and preventing greater joy from springing forth? Which weak shoots do I need to prune from my life because they drain precious energy from my real life’s purpose?
Fortunately, I have pruned plenty of dead, old, or weak stuff from my life with the help of therapy, meditation and reflection. But the cycle of life, as seen in gardening, calls for regular pruning, reshaping and maintenance so that we continue to grow and strengthen. This internal pruning is hard work that requires being acutely self aware, taking time to dissect emotions and reactions by journaling or meditating, and (this is the part I don’t like) talking about it. What I have learned is that getting negative or confusing thoughts out of my head by having to talk about them is the best way to ultimately change how I act or react to things. So, I am starting a new birthday year with purpose – to prune off the old way of thinking and the stuff that is draining focus and energy from my life’s purpose.
Has something (or someone) inspired you to make change in your life? How will you know if you are making progress? Please share.
Much Love,
Yaya Speaks 