"As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart." Proverbs 27:19
Have you ever noticed that something similar happens in the garden?
Normally, when spring hits I’m anxious for color so I purchase annuals to jumpstart the season. This year my heart wasn’t in it for some reason so I surrendered to my heart rather than force the issue.
I’ve been focusing more on becoming the person I need to be in order to receive a beautiful life these days. I’ve been letting the Divine take care of the details so it wasn’t much of a surprise when I put two and two together. Rather than control my garden I just trusted that what wanted to come back would show up. My garden was reflecting my heart.
"A boy asked his mom, “How will I be able to find the right woman for me?” The mom answered, “Don't worry about finding the right woman, concentrate on becoming the right man.” ~Unknown
This wisdom can be applied to so many things besides an intimate relationship: becoming the person we need to be in order to keep the weight off, get out of debt, receive a promotion, etc.
I’ve been itching for my perennials to pop. They do so when they are good and ready and not a moment before. You can’t force a flower to bloom. The process warrants appreciation. We can’t force the things we want to happen either. I can attest to having been on both sides of that too. Divine timing is divine timing. If you force a flower to open before it is ready it will just fall apart. Hmm... If you’ve ever been the one trying to force something or the one not ready and being pushed, it always falls apart in the end, doesn’t it? I have also unknowingly pushed away that very thing I needed in order to become the person capable of receiving what I want. And has exactly what you wanted ever finally showed up yet you've been too stubborn to receive it because it wasn't on your terms? Appreciation is a virtue.
And interesting that the bloom fest in my garden began with a Lady Slipper, which I had not planted. It is listed as"special concern" under the Native Plant Protection Act, a flower I marvel and in perfect view from my kitchen table. When my focus is on who I am becoming rather than on what I want, better things than I could have wrapped my mind around often show up.
The next perennial I noticed was the Columbine and then the daisies, irises and Sweet William began popping all at once.
This morning when I took Inde out, I noticed that some of the irises had already passed. My first thought was, “How did that happen? I didn't get a chance to enjoy them." The response I received was, “Appreciation is a choice.” Whoa!
Flowers are going to pop regardless of whether I appreciate them or not. Appreciation is allowing something or someone to touch my heart. It requires a moment of connection—for me to stop and breathe in my surroundings. Life will pass me by. Whether I choose to appreciate it or not is my decision. Too busy is a choice too. Stopping to smell the flowers in life is about taking a moment to engage with my heart.
Have you ever taken something or someone for granted or not appreciated it or them fully until they were gone?
I can’t bring back those irises but I can choose to appreciate the remainder of them even more deliberately because of those I forever lost the opportunity to appreciate. I can express gratitude in hindsight and even apologize for my neglect. That can’t always bring someone back but it definitely makes me feel better.
Feelings of loss emerge when I haven’t fully appreciated a moment and don’t know how to take what I have learned so I can use it to thrive more fully in the moments to come. When I get stuck in wanting that old moment back rather than being grateful for how it taught me to grow in appreciation, I miss out on that next moment too.
Fortunately I don’t need to defend myself to an iris. It doesn’t have an ego so it isn’t going to accuse me of letting it down or of not doing a good enough job of appreciating it. I feel bad enough on my own. I think you know where I’m going with this… An iris won’t shame me like a human might so it’s easier to touch my remorse.
I’m not recommending not to plant annuals or to plant them or to not have human relationships. I’m just suggesting that your garden likely reflects your heart in ways you may not realize and in ways that can actually serve to enhance your human relationships. Stop to smell the flowers and see what happens.
So what wisdom did I garner from my garden today?
- My garden reflects my heart.
- Appreciation is a choice to engage with my heart.
- What I want happens in its own time allowing me to focus on becoming the person I need to be in order to receive it or better.
- I can’t always bring someone I have lost back, but it’s never too late to express gratitude and to take what I have learned and use it to thrive on.
- When I am like the iris and don’t shame, it is easier for the other person to touch their remorse.
How does your 'garden' reflect your heart these days?
What wisdom might be waiting there for you?
