I wrote this piece a few years back. It came to me this week as I was thinking about how powerful our thoughts are. That the management of the mind is enormous in what transpires in life. Where the focus is placed, the harvest is given. I wanted to share it again with you and also some fun-loving watercolor images. I am never so relaxed as I am with my journal and watercolors in hand. I teach watercolor journaling because I know how good it has been for me.

Minding the Garden

I see
the garden of my mind.
At one time it stood neglected, with fencing that lay fallen over, broken, and buried in the weeds.
A mishmash of whatever seed the birds had dropped or the wind had blown–––these things had taken root and were now growing.

The items I had intentionally planted were showing lots of stress.
They were competing for the sunlight and the rain against incompatible partners.
Their fruits were small and often times sparse.
Sometimes I'd be energized to do some weeding but would quickly tire and let things return to their natural state.
It seemed unmanageable.
Then in a quiet moment (don't you love those?) I realized something.
It was MY garden.
I could plant what I wanted and uproot/destroy the rest, but most important of all, I could create a sturdy fence with a gated entry for my garden. I could choose ahead of time what would be allowed in.
So…
I set up a gatekeeper.

The instructions were:
Only allow entrance to good/god thoughts—peace, perfect love, JOY, forgiveness, compassion, trust, imagination, creativity, inspiration, abundance, delight, and gratitude.
Any negative stuff—fear, doubt, worry, criticism, judging—was absolutely not allowed admission.

With this new fence and gatekeeper, my garden could become a place of great joy and delight—full of plants bearing massive fruits—lush, fragrant, and abundant!
And the two most gigantic plants of all?
Gratitude and love, of course—easily seen from miles around.
This 'garden' is all in my mind, but as you know, most things in life begin there.

Our mind is the most essential piece of real estate we will ever own.
When we decide what we will sow, the Universe conspires to make it grow and bear fruit.
Every juicy piece to come exists from the seed we plant.
(Secretly, I imagine my mind garden producing so much that I must sneak to place the extra bounty on my neighbor's porches by stealth of night. Zucchinis of love and tomatoes of gratitude—just like real gardens grow!)

Planting time is present in every moment.
Today seems like an excellent day for sowing love, JOY, and a couple of rows of laughter 🙂 !!

 As always, if you've read this far, please know we are on the same path, and as Ram Das said...' just walking each other home.'

Thanks for being your wonderful self.

...busy in the garden ;-)

P.S. Somehow, when I write, I always feel gratitude for you. For your attention, for you reading my stuff, for just being here. It means a lot! You can receive my letters straight to your inbox by subscribing here. (My letters are free, of course!)