Following my Post on my feelings about turning 60 I received theis comment from Lynley:
“Continuing your gardening metaphor… is there more nourishment needed, some pruning to be done, new seeds or crops to plant and nurture and how much good would some bountiful refreshment do right now?
No matter what age we are turning we all have soooo much to offer people.
I look forward to seeing new growth in time:-)”
My Response:
Thank you Lynley for your thought-provoking comments. I’ve reflected a little more about gardening and how it relates to my thoughts and feelings at the moment.
Autumn is a busy time in the garden. It is the time to clear away dead or dying bits and pieces to make way for new plants. It is also a time cut back some trees and bushes to allow them to rest and recover so that they can use their energy for renewed growth in the coming Spring. Knowing which ones to remove and which to prune comes with experience.
In the same way, it is sometimes useful to look at our lives and see if there are some attitudes, activities or actions that need to be eradicated. This clears the decks and opens our minds and hearts to fresh ideas and new ways of doing things. It is also helpful to know when we just need to step back and allow ourselves to rest and be refreshed so that we too can be renewed. As the days draw in and the weather gets cooler we have a good opportunity to slow down and take time to read, to think and to spend time doing things that nurture our spirit and stimulate our minds. We don’t always have to be ‘doing’ all the time. Sometimes it is just as important to ‘be’.
I don’t usually write about my own doubts and fears, but I felt that this was an appropriate thing to do when so many of us are feeling fragile or fearful. Acknowledging and accepting our feelings allows us to put them into some sort of perspective and actually work through them and then move on rather than trying to push them away and hope that everything will somehow come right eventually. Building resilience means realising that we will have reactions and responses to difficulties (even if they are imagined ones such as birthdays). It also means that we learn to build our resources and resourcefulness so that we can deal with these emotions, access our own strength, and bounce back again.
