I OFTEN USE THE METAPHOR OF THE GARDEN TO DESCRIBE THE MIND...
Beautiful gardens don’t just appear, they need lots of care and attention but potentially, they always exist.
Like the garden needs the right amount of sunshine and rain the mind also needs the right amount of time and dedication in order to blossom and grow.
We are all potential gardeners.
Imagine for one moment two identical seeds:
The first seed is planted with care into the ground. It is tended to with the right amount of sun and the right amount of rain. When weeds start to appear, they are pulled out allowing the plant space to spread out and grow. Strong roots start to anchor themselves underneath the earth’s surface and eventually the plant pushes forward towards the sun, strong, resistant to the elements. It blossoms in full colour.
Now let’s take the second seed.
It is not carefully planted into the ground but carelessly thrown onto the earth’s surface. It is neither tended to nor cared for. It is not guaranteed that the seed will receive the right amount of sun and rain. Weeds soon shoot up overpowering the plant and leaving it in the shade. The plant struggles to grow. The roots are weak and the flower bends. The roots are too weak to sustain the plant leaving it fragile and vulnerable. The plant never blossoms to its full potential.
Two identical seeds…
Here’s a poem that one of my client’s wrote…
‘Amongst the brambles and the weeds.
A tiny bud pauses, breathes,
She sits there scared,
The nights are long,
She hangs her head,
She is forlorn,
The earth is barren,
The coldness creeps,
Seeping past defences,
She sighs and weeps.
But life is circular,
The dark will end,
Hope is eternal,
Peace is a friend.
The sun it rises,
The morning’s warm,
The raindrops softly caress, and fall,
They whisper gently in the wind…
‘Spread your roots oh little flower,
Turn your head towards the light,
There is no need for you to cower,
There is no need for you to fight.’
So with love and trust and nurturing hand,
Just like a flower you will find,
You too can bloom and you will blossom,
In the garden of your mind.’
V
