I was weeding my garden last weekend and I realized that it used to be a job that brought me satisfaction. I love the smell of the earth and the dirt in my hands. I find joy in the reward of plants growing!
But as life’s demands keeping DEMANDING my time and attention, I find myself in the garden less and therefore weeding less. Even if you’re not a gardener you know what that means – more weeds. And not just more weeds, but stronger, more deeply rooted weeds. A task that used to be satisfying is now dreaded because I know the long and tiring time ahead of me will be difficult and more lengthy than necessary.
Gardening has been exhausted as an analogy about life lessons and my observation is not designed to rock your world, but simply to get you thinking: how are you weeding your own proverbial life garden? The longer you wait to assess and take action, the more difficult and lengthy the process will be.
As mothers, it’s easy to get caught up in our responsibilities and forget that we also need to care for ourselves. Wait too long to care for yourself and… you guessed it… the weeds grow-up. {And your children do too!} The weeds of unhealthy friendships, poor eating habits, lack of self care, and isolation from activities we once enjoyed begin to grow around our feet and work their way up our legs and soon choke out the ability to live and thrive.
It’s time to do some weeding. Walk through the garden of your life regularly and assess the soil. Make this a pattern in your life so that you can grow up into the person you were made to be! And be an example to your children and others that it’s important to care for yourself so that you are capable of caring for others (because that my friend, I would like to humbly assert, is where we will find our greatest joy).
Life is full of choices. Ask yourself this: am I choosing to grow worthwhile things in the garden of my life (joy in friendships, hobbies, leaving a legacy of goodness & faithfulness for your children)? Here’s another way to ask this question: Am I spending my time on the things that matter most?
Once you’ve established the answer to that question and pin-pointed a few things that are worthwhile (and hopefully identifying some things that need to be repositioned {or sent to the garbage pile} to make room for what matters most) consider how you’re going to rework your garden to maximize it’s fruits!
Only you know the answers to these questions. I realize that this is so easy to write about and much more frustrating (and sometimes downright painful) to execute. But when it comes to your life, NO ONE is more invested than you are – you have control over your choices.
Jenna lives in Littleton and is a gardener is progress. She is in love with her raspberry bush that is finally bearing fruit, but is sure she won’t see a single tomato this year.
Author: Mile High Mamas
Amber Johnson
Such a simple analogy but a lovely one!!!