One of the things I love about Spring is the crisp, fresh air and the buzz of excitement that surrounds us as everyone comes out of hibernation. Where I live, the winters are mild by comparison to most of the rest of the U.S.; and even here, we tend to hang out indoors during the darker, dreary months. But now, the days are growing longer, the temps are rising to perfection, and colors are bursting in our gardens. 

Have you noticed how gardens grow? Some will have an abundance of color and greenery, others will be sprinkled with weeds, or dying plants. It occurs to me that this is a great metaphor for how we flourish in life.

In our gardens, we start with a vision of what we want our yards to look like. We study what will grow in our region – and what’s right for our lifestyle . . . and then we plant the seeds. Now, some of us will be happy to get that far (I know there have been times in my life when that was a major step in itself – just to get the garden started). Yet, we can derive even better satisfaction if we follow through after the planting of the “pretty things.” Let’s remember to water them, prune them and nurture them along. If we do, we’ll end up with a beautiful landscape. It takes time and patience, and tending to our dreams.

So it is in life. By starting with a vision and making a plan on how to get there, we can make the journey, step by step, planting the seeds and cultivating the life we want. Do you want it flourishing and vivacious? Or is it going to be overcome by weeds and grow wild ad at random?

If you want specific things to occur, you must plant specific seeds, right? What happens if you plant petunias when you really wanted pansies? Or if you planted watermelon seeds when you were expecting to have cantaloupes? Just as with our gardens, we must also follow the right steps in our life’s plan to get us to the place we want to be.

And what happens when we don’t tend to the gardens? For me, I end up with lots of weeds; and if I don’t work on the landscape regularly, then before I know it, all my colorful visions and plans are choked out by the daily buildup of random weeds. And then THEY become the picture that I (and everyone else) will see instead of the restful garden I had planned.

Take some time as you work in your spring gardens and use the same principles to cultivate the beautiful life you want and deserve. Develop a plan for your landscape this year. What seeds will you need to plant now so that you’ll grow and thrive in the days ahead? And what activities, friends or habits are you willing to weed out in order to make room for this new, colorful, fragrant bouquet of yours? Nourish your dreams . . . give them room to grow . . . and have a beautiful life!

Have a Golden Day!
Coach Darlene