My Weeds Are Killing Me!

This spring I planted a new vegetable garden that included some flowers and medicinal plants. Thankfully, it’s been going really well in spite of a cool and dry spring. Each day, I would walk around the garden to “check” on its progress. Up until….

After I had weeded.

A recent vacation left my garden unattended. While the electric fence did its job keeping the animals out, the weeds were a different story….or a nightmare.

Coming home meant having to “find” my plants in amongst the grasses and weeds. There were red tomatoes that were buried under foliage, flowers that needed to be deadheaded, and peppers that needed picking.

As I was working with my pick ax and shovel digging out the weeds, I was reminded of the importance of daily tending to not just my garden, but my body as well.

Taking a look at the body each day is so important. That check in for self-evaluation is key.

Tending the body like a garden is a powerful metaphor that emphasizes the importance of taking care of one's physical and mental well-being. Just as a garden requires regular attention, nurturing, and maintenance to thrive, our bodies also need proper care to flourish and lead a healthy life. There are several key reasons why this analogy holds significance:

Nurturing Growth

Just as plants need the right nutrients and conditions to grow, our bodies require a balanced diet, regular exercise, and adequate rest to develop and function optimally. By tending to our bodies with proper nutrition and physical activity, we promote growth and development.

Weeding Out Negativity

In a garden, weeds can hinder the growth of plants by competing for resources. Similarly, negative habits and influences in our lives can hamper our well-being. Tending to our bodies involves identifying and eliminating harmful habits, stressors, and negative thought patterns that can affect our health.

Preventing Illness

Regular maintenance and care in a garden can prevent the spread of diseases and pests. In the context of our bodies, a healthy lifestyle that includes a balanced diet, exercise, and good hygiene can boost the immune system and reduce the risk of various illnesses.

Cultivating Mindfulness

Tending a garden often requires a sense of mindfulness and being present in the moment. Likewise, paying attention to our bodies and being mindful of our physical sensations, emotions, and mental state can lead to better self-awareness and overall well-being.

Promoting Mental Health

Just as a garden can be a place of relaxation and stress relief, taking care of our bodies can positively impact our mental health. Regular exercise, meditation, and self-care activities can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, promoting a healthier mindset.

Sustainable Longevity

Well-maintained gardens can thrive for years, and by caring for our bodies, we increase the likelihood of living a longer, healthier life. By adopting healthy habits and making conscious choices about our lifestyle, we can support a sustainable and fulfilling life.

Fostering a Positive Cycle

When a garden is well-tended, it rewards the gardener with a bountiful harvest. Similarly, when we take care of our bodies, we often experience increased energy, productivity, and an overall sense of well-being, creating a positive cycle of self-improvement.

By adopting a proactive and mindful approach to our physical and mental health, we can cultivate a happier, healthier, and more fulfilling life.

Listen to a 3-minute meditation about tending your garden here.

The Penny Gum Machine

Shelter in Place, Self-Quarantine, Social Distancing…it’s given me time to reflect.  Today I remembered a much simpler time in my life.  I was probably 6 or 7 years old and my parents were at the department store.  We shopped at K-Mart a lot.  Each time we went to K-Mart (or any store) my mother would tell my brother and me that there was no extra money and to not ask for anything…and we didn’t.  Back then, people paid with either cash or check.  Rarely were credit cards used. My parents didn’t believe in credit cards anyway so they either used cash or check.  At some point during my shopping experience, I would ask my mom if she was paying with cash.  I was particularly delighted when she said yes, because I knew there would likely be change.  That change would be an opportunity to buy a 1 cent piece of gum in the machine.  It was the highlight of my shopping day.  Children could be bought for so little then.

As time goes on and children become adults, the joys seem to be more expensive.  What once was only a penny for the gum machine is now thousands of pennies of accumulated “stuff.”  During the shelter in place, I have been able to take inventory of my “stuff,” both physically and emotionally.  For me, it’s much easier to work through the physical stuff than it is the emotional stuff that has accumulated.  That takes real work and to be honest, dealing with the physical unloading is a good distraction and excuse to not deal with the emotional baggage.  Visualizing the new space in a closet or garage is fulfilling, whereas, the other isn’t quite as clear cut.  

I think that’s where meditation has a real purpose.  Just some quiet time to check in with all the systems: physical, emotional, and spiritual has real value in clearing what has been conditioned over time.  Each day, I learn something new about myself.  Life has been an evolvement of puzzle pieces that are uniquely mine.  Often times, it’s easy to struggle to find that piece that just isn’t fitting or seems missing.  Looking all around for that missing piece, when suddenly, it’s right there in front of my eyes.  Each piece of that puzzle represents joys, excitement, happiness, struggles, anger, disappointment, defeat, brokenness, faithfulness, and so on.  How often I think of letting go and allowing God….yet, in a world of brokenness, I want control over my own little world.  It is a daily fight to allow God to do His work and remind myself to simply flow into the next scene and live that moment. 

Each person has gifts we bring to our world and the people in it.  Some are really good at seeing a problem and finding a solution, while others need to sit with the problem and reflect on possible solutions.  There are people who are really good at forecasting and planning for the future, while others simply can’t see past their noses. I think we need each type of person to help balance and enrich the lives of others.  Because of my own experiences, I’ve learned to ease up on the control I once thought to be so important.  There’s that saying “everything happens for a reason,” yet, I wonder…. My human mind just isn’t able to understand all that occurs in life when there is a God that can make all things new.  

Perhaps I needed this Shelter in Place for my own emotional and spiritual wellbeing.  Perhaps this was the “reason” and the season to take a good look inside of all the junk I’ve accumulated and purge those things that are no longer useful for me.  I know I have some clothes I need to discard, but I just keeping thinking they will come back in style…..LOL! I can’t go back to the days of penny gum machines, but I can go forward and trust that I will be taken care of and looked after by a Heavenly Father who knows every hair on my head. I choose to trust that each day has purpose and will seek to assist others on their own journey.

I invite you, the reader, to also reflect on what you hold near and dear. In doing so, perhaps you will uncover something that is no longer useful to you. It’s okay to let things go; because if our space is too full, then there’s no room for new things life has to offer.

Health Bite: Use Shelter In Place to Purge: Physically, Emotionally, and Spiritually