Want to grow? Prune your life.
Hello!
Gardening metaphor today! Stay with me!
When I ask,
What do plants need in order to grow?
what comes to mind?
Water. Sunlight. Fertilizer. Time. Our loving attention.
That is:
all the things we add or supplement.
But you know what else plants need to grow?
A good pruning.
You see
when you prune a plant, you're helping to concentrate its energy.
Instead of spending precious lifeforce
on half-dead stalks
or branches headed the wrong direction,
or leaves that aren't looking so good,
your pruned plant gets to use it on strengthening its roots,
on filling out its center,
on creating flowers.
*
My plants help me remember this -
help me TRUST in this.
Because sometimes, pruning is a little scary.
Even when I know I don't want this errant vine
or paltry stalk,
cutting it away takes courage.
But
I pruned my jasmine two weeks ago,
and today I have dozens of fragrant flowers.
With the courage of that example,
I hacked the HEYYYLLLL out of my hydrangea last weekend -
ugh, so many of its limbs were dry
spindly
only partially leafing.
As I cut, I discovered all this gorgeous and tender brand-new growth
hidden in the hydrangea's base.
By time I was done, the bush was half its original size.
And I must admit, I thought, What have I done?
Even tho I KNEW what I'd trimmed away
was dead weight,
unlikely to thrive.
And here,
just one week later,
it's SO HAPPY, this hydrangea!
All the tender new growth is striving upward,
and the plant is centered, balanced, beautiful.
*
Same is true with your life, my pretty.
Perhaps you have been thinking
about the things you'd like to add
to help you cultivate the life you want.
Cardio. Sleep. Yoga. Greens. Meditation. Probiotics.
Hired help. One of those meal delivery plans. This-or-that gadget.
Better habits. More focus. More discipline.
I'm here for all of those, of course.
But I'm also here to hand you the sharp mind-shears,
and to ask:
🌱Where do you need to prune your life?
🌱What projects are half-dead, unlikely to thrive?
🌱Which relationships are taking you in the wrong direction?
🌱What old stories are you ready to stop telling?
🌱Which old commitments divert your energy away from your new and tender growth?
You probably already know,
because you've felt the weight of those initiatives
holding you down.
Well, my sweet:
It's time to grow.
I know some of the cuts you need to make are kinda scary.
But take it from me,
and from my happy hydrangea too:
when you remove what's just not working,
you can concentrate your growth energy
on what's been brewing
right at your heart.
You and I both know: that heart-brew is vital.
Extraordinary.
Saying No to what's draining will be kinda scary,
but saying Yes to your one wild & precious life is worth it.
Get to snipping.
love,
Natalie