SPRING RENEWAL: TIME TO READY YOUR LIFE'S GARDEN

As I looked out on my deck and saw the very sad brown spindly remnants of last year's blooming glory hanging over the sides of my deck planters, I knew it was time to take action. When I checked my neglected planters this morning I discovered that they were rock hard, totally root bound and all that was left on the surface was a bunch of old dead stems hanging forlornly over the sides. rnHow easy it was to relate that to my life! Somehow the grey and dormancy of January and February had affected my mind the same way it had my plants. However, the glorious sun was shining again and that meant it was time to start over, get a fresh new start. It was time to turn over the soil, find out what was growing underneath and get fertilizing and stimulating new growth and this year's possibilities. THREE STEPS TO READY YOUR LIFE'S GARDEN 1/ RID THE BEDS (AND YOUR HEAD) OF THE DEAD: CREATE SPACE rnSpring is a great time to check out the soil in which you plant your future and see where your life has gotten "root-bound". It's time to get rid of the stuff that is no longer serving you and is standing in the way of you moving forward to create the life you want. It's time to eliminate the symbolic "deadwood" crowding your brain so that new thoughts can grow. Some questions to consider as you get rid of your life's deadwood: (i) What thoughts am I thinking that are dragging me down and holding me back? (ii) How am I spending my time? Do I fill it with things I want to do - that nurture me physically, emotionally, spiritually, intellectually, or are my days filled with things I feel I "should" do but don't want to do? (iii) What damaging habits aren't working for me anymore? (iv) What am I holding onto that is no longer serving me? (E.g./ old emails from a work disagreement, old hurts from a long-ago personal disagreement, the pants you wore in high school that you think you might fit into again) rn2/ TURN OVER THE SOIL: UNEARTH NEW POSSIBILITIES rnAs you dig deep and turn over the soil in your "life garden", you may discover all sorts of seeds that have gone dormant: seeds of ideas, stimulating friends you have lost touch with, career dreams you once had or perhaps a wonderful hobby you don't make time for any more. rnYou may also find that by loosening up the soil that you have more space to think of new ideas and possibilities. What might turn up or show up in your life it you gave it the time and air to breathe? rnWas there something growing a long time ago that has been buried? rnWhat can you rip out of your garden to make space for something else? rnAs you turn over your soil, use that newfound space to dream about the possibilities for this spring. rn3/ FERTILIZE: NURTURE THE IDEAS rnWhat do you want your "life garden” to look like this year?rnWhat do you want to make sure you plant this year? What colors will you add to your garden this year? What ideas, paths, and seeds of possibility need to be fertilized and nurtured? rnWe need to feed and nurture our soil so that our "new life seeds" have the best chance to grow. How can you make sure your soil is rich with nutrients? Who can help you water and take care of your "life garden"? rnOur lives are an uninterrupted season of planting, growing and harvesting or, as Peter Sellers said in his brilliant portrayal of Chance the Gardener in Jerzy Kosinski's Being There: "In the garden, growth has it seasons. First comes spring and summer, but then we have fall and winter. And then we get spring and summer again" rnHappy Gardening!