Today I sat deadheading my planters to make room for new growth. I thought about the symbolism between that and knowing when to remove the junk from our lives.
Like flowers, we all need nurturing and tending. You must look after yourself and remove that which doesn’t serve you any longer. A flower that doesn’t get watered or deadheaded soon dies.
Not every flower requires deadheading. You must know which ones do and which ones don’t. Some drop and reseed, strengthening themselves and ensuring their continued presence.
In order to grow and shine, you must let go of old habits and thinking that no longer serve you. Keep the ones that make you shine. Replace them with more positive and loving ones.
I believe that like a snake sheds its skin, we too must shed. Every phase we go through in life involves letting go. We depend less on our parents as we age and get to the ‘I know it all’ teenage years. Soon we learn that we don’t and drop that way of thinking (hopefully), so we can be open to learning and growth.
We outgrow our clothes and our toys and let them go making room for new ones. I believe that when you buy a new outfit, you should get rid of an old one and pass it on to someone who could use it. The same goes for toys, puzzles, games. If we don’t let go, our lives become cluttered.
There are some games I kept over the years that my son played and now my grandson plays. They are the few treasures I keep. The rest I let go.
We must also tend to our spirit and let go of any darkness we are holding onto. Anger, prejudice, hatred are all dark emotions that make it harder for you to shine. Purge them from your soul and replace them with love and kindness, compassion and caring.
The more you hold onto things, be it negative emotions, self-serving ideas, old clothes, etc., the less room you have for something new and wonderful.
So too are depression, self-doubt and self-loathing. Each of these, in their own way, hinder us from moving forward. If we are unwilling to forgive, love and move on, we become stuck and our spirit withers.
Recognize what you need to keep and then let go of the rest. Know when it is time to purge and then go ahead and remove the junk.
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