Weeding the Yard

 

This past week, I had the opportunity to mow the yard for the first time this spring. There is something pretty special about the first mow of the season for me. I get to spend an hour or so outside, walking behind my push mower, and doing some cleaning after the harsh winter months. I also know that the first mow of the season is going to spark growth in my grass and will inevitably start the weekly cycle of mowing my yard. I don't pay someone to mow my grass, because it would rob me of the opportunity to accomplish something that I actually take great joy in doing. One of the most difficult parts of this process is weeding the yard as I come across the pesky little insurgents that seem to sprout up in various spots. If you don't pull these weeds, they will grow and spread and suffocate the grass around them until they completely take over. You can certainly buy a herbicide to prevent them from growing in the first place, but I prefer the old fashioned way of hand-pulling them before they flower. It's annoying, but it's part of the job if you want your yard to look good.

Weeding the yard is also a metaphor for each of us in our daily lives. Some of us are diligent about doing this on a regular basis, but others have let their yard become overgrown with weeds and either don't know where to begin or just let it go altogether because it's going to require too much work. That shouldn't stop any of us from doing it on a regular basis because it is what actually cleans up our mind so we can function appropriately. What it boils down to is actually committing to setting boundaries and expectations on your time and not letting things live rent free if your head. That requires us to do an audit of the things and the people who are not helping us move forward and weeding them out so there is room for more positive and productive things to take hold. Weeds, after all, use up valuable resources that could be utilized elsewhere.

I'm guilty of not weeding on a regular basis because I don't like to give up on things or people. Because of this, I feel the effects of being let down and things not turning out the way that I want them too. It's a bitter pill to swallow for me because I lament and reflect for long periods of time on how things could have been better, when in reality, the issue lies in the fact that I should have just weeded it out when my gut told me to. Your gut is like that and probably knows better, but you just have to listen to it.

Now is the time. It's spring and things are growing, so why don't you do the same. Get the gloves on and bring out the sheers and start weeding. It isn't easy and it sometimes painful, but in the end, you will thank yourself because you will have effectively and intentionally nurtured your soul and put the focus on yourself for once. It's not selfish. It's therapeutic.

#OwnYourEpic #Embrace

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