What’s Scary About Your Life?

By Jasmin Hepburn

Email: consciousliving@optimum.net

I woke up with the desire to put my hands in the soil. It felt good to be outside in the garden, and I was happy for the fresh rain that made it easier to pull the weeds. I hadn’t planted anything in a while; and the last time I did, I was surprised to find two garden snakes. I expected to find the same two this time. Unlike my son (then seven), however, I was not happy that within 10-15 minutes, he was holding four of them, thinking of making them his pets! I didn’t want to be around them, simply because…well, they were snakes! But I was determined to get rid of the weeds, so I resigned myself to facing them.

My yard had become a safe haven for the garden snakes because I had done no work in it for a while. Seeing them initially made me shudder. But it also made me think of my life…our lives…that reveal “garden snakes” — seemingly scary discoveries about ourselves that make us want to run away in fear at times.

There is room for growth in all of us. Therefore, at some point, you will encounter qualities and situations in your life that make you shudder in fear. After all, who likes to admit that they have a weakness; that their existence would be better if they behaved differently; or that their beliefs are limiting their quality of life? That is what happens, however, when you don’t take care of your personal growth. Less-than-desirable habits and situations make their home within you; and when you have an experience that awakens the habit or exacerbates the situation, you get scared and want to run from it.

I believe it is beneficial to periodically “pull the weeds” from our lives so that our being does not become a safe haven for unhealthy habits. If you accept that you have attitudes and ways of being that block the best expression of who you are AND are open to making the necessary changes to be your best, then no “snakes” will appear to scare you. A willingness to get professional help in any area that is restricting your growth will also help to address the fears that you have. And don’t forget to listen to your intuition and follow your heart.

Now, how is the garden of your life? Is it overgrown with weeds that stifle the growth of your most beautiful flowers? Is your innate beauty showing itself or is it buried underground like a garden snake? Your beauty can be gracefully expressed in different ways even in the face of life’s challenges and you can be triumphant instead of running away from them.

The qualities within that do not serve you can become as harmless as a gardem snake when you determine to get rid of them and keep your “garden” free from weeds. That’s a wonderful way to show off your beautiful character. I trust that you decide to make your beauty shine by boldly facing the “garden snakes” of your life.

So how will your garden grow this week?

Today’s thought: I make choices that show that I’m growing each day.