Gardening The Mind

 

“I felt like taking my life yesterday.”  It’s not something often heard. Although this phrase is rarely heard, it is often felt.  Shame, guilt, and embarrassment, flood the already over exhausted emotions. The flood deepens the drown. The more being in the dark pit is hated the deeper it becomes. The trap that are shackles to the darkness is the mind.

 

The mind, a place one can truly be free. Where dreams sprout and grow. Even a body held in captivity can find freedom through the mind. The seeds of thought are the beginning of marvels to behold. What happens when this powerful force becomes shackles instead of wings?  How can one find the seeds of freedom in the place where the darkness grows?

 

If the mind is a garden then the fact that weeds grow is evidence the ground is fertile.  Hating the weeds doesn’t stop them from growing. Being shameful of them doesn’t stop their existence.  The more good seeds are nurtured and grown the less room there is for the weeds.  But even the growth of the good doesn’t stop the weeds efforts to grow. In order for the garden to be what the gardener desires, the gardener must stay vigilant with his work.  He must continue to plant, nurture and pull.

 

 Is the gardener’s work to rid the place of weeds or is his work to create a beautiful and fruitful garden? If the gardener hates the weeds so much that he puts all his focus and efforts there, he will not have a garden. He must balance his efforts and remember that the weeds are only a part of it.  He can find beauty in the weeds because they are a part of his work.

 

Giving up will not grow the garden. Focusing on the weeds will not grow the garden. The garden will only become more fruitful and beautiful with the gardener’s consistent efforts and vision.  The garden and the gardener’s work combined are what create the gardener’s joy. 

Written By: Dawnitelle

Photo By: Dawnitelle