That rush of cool air and those changing, falling leaves can only mean one thing--
it's harvest season, y’all!
Time to reap what we’ve sown. As we gaze upon our life's patch, what seeds did we plant and nurture that we can now enjoy as the fruits of our labor?
I’m astounded by you all, my fellow gardeners and all that you’ve grown. This year alone, I’ve watched loved ones let an idea for a project sprout in their minds, plot it out on paper, plant it into reality and see it all bloom. I’ve watched friends nourish their own bodies and see the transformation from the inside-out. I’ve watched friends sprout new relationships, add fertilizer to existing ones, and see them blossoming. It really is something to step back and marvel at.
In this fast-paced life, we can be disheartened when we don’t immediately get to reap the benefits of our efforts. Often we start a new business but only a few bucks trickle in. We start taking lessons but can now only play a few chords. We make a new connection but still haven’t developed a deep intimacy. We start eating well and exercising, but still haven’t reached our health goals. This doesn’t mean we have to raze those beds to the ground. We just have to be patient, nurturing, and tenacious-just like nature.
When we reframe our thinking to the pace of nature, we can see we’re not going to have a whole forest after a single season of planting. On closer inspection, we see new growth has started to sprout all around everything we’ve planted and nurtured. And that growth, even it’s slight, is a sign we’re on the right track.
This is true whether we’re talking about actual plants, careers, relationships. Some things and connections are only starting to take root and as long as we continue to tend to them steadily, they will flourish.
If we push ourselves, others, and our projects too hard in our garden— by chemically altering our soil (our bodies), burning those grow lights too brightly, piling too much on, or overplanting— we can throw the whole plot out of balance and poison the crop. That's a hard-earned lesson that all gardeners have to learn at some point. As long as we do learn from that, we’re still growing.
It’s never too late to plot out a new design for our garden. If it’s necessary, we can choose to focus more energy into it or pull anything that’s not benefitting us out by the roots and start again. That can feel scary and sad. Feel that. Mourn it. Use that as fertilizer to grow from. That way something that’s vibrant, productive, and fulfilling will take its place.
It takes as much courage and faith as it does tenacity to tend to the gardens of our lives. But what could be worthwhile than tending to our garden? So get digging! Get those hands dirty. And give yourself a pat on the back for all that you've spouted in your life.
Wishing you and yours a bounty of goodness!
If you or someone you know is looking for someone to help plotting out a new garden in your life. Reach out to me. I'd be honored to be of service to help you get blooming!