You're Only as Healthy as Your Housekeepping

A year ago I attended a short lecture at a nursery about caring for your garden. After alot of questions about should I cut back this flower, or how do I keep that flower healthy, the man giving the lecture simply said, "Your garden is only as healthy as your housekeeping".

Today, I was out in my gardens. I spent the day weeding. That comment came to mind. As it rolled around in my thoughts I discovered that I was uncovering the new growth of plants underneath while other plants were being choked out. Some weeds were easy to remove while others had deep tap roots. It's been difficult for the sun light and air to get in.
The thought then turned to my life and how this concept would apply. How many things am I holding onto that are unhealthy. How many things, important things, have I allowed to be choked out because of the day to day weeds. Friendships lost. Visits and cups of tea missed. Family calls not made. Adventures missed. So as I weeded, I started to let some things go. Minor things that for whatever reason I seem to have hung onto and have gotten in the way of me growing, experiencing, learning.

When I was young and my brothers and I would start getting on each other or we were just plain cranky, my Mom used to put it another way. She would hold the door open and tell us to "Go air out the stink".

At the end of the day I sat on the ground looking at all I had accomplished. My back ached. My hands dirty and sore. The late afternoon sun on my face. I felt lighter somehow. There are still many weeds left to work through, some with deep taproots that will be hard to unearth. But the beauty underneath will surely show through once the light and air are allowed in.