“If I had a flower for every time I thought of you, I could walk through my garden forever.” ⏤Alfred Lord Tennyson

Close your eyes, and imagine that you are standing in the middle of a garden. In the garden is a plant for every thought, feeling, and belief you have. What does your garden look like?

Is it easy to get into and out of your garden? Are there clearly-marked entrances, or do you have to scale a wall or pick a lock to get in? Once inside, can you leave whenever you want to, or is it like a confusing maze with false turns and dead ends?

Is your garden large with plenty of room for growth, or is it just a small patch of green bordered on all sides by concrete and asphalt? 

Do other people hold a ‘right-of-way’ to pass through your garden, or do you have a say in who comes and goes? Have other people planted seeds there or taken over a portion of your land?

Can you walk around your garden freely and unobstructed, or is it an overgrown tangle of weeds and fallen trees?

Is it filled with fruiting trees and blossoming flowers, or is it overrun with poisonous ivies, invasive vines, and deadly mushrooms?

Is there garbage in your garden? Are there tools strewn about? Are there plastic bags caught in the tree branches and bushes? Are there cigarette butts on the ground?

How does water flow through your garden when a storm hits? Does it puddle up in the low areas, drowning the roots of your young plants? Do the rains carry away the topsoil or carve channels through the surface?

Would you invite others to join you in your garden? If you were getting to know someone, would you bring them there and show them around? Is it a place that you want to spend time in? Would you go there willingly to relax and refresh yourself? 

Only you can see your invisible garden, but it isn’t entirely hidden. You invite people there every time you interact with someone. Even the most healthy and well-tended garden requires constant maintenance and nurturing. Inspect its boundaries and contents daily. Pull the weeds of negative thoughts and limiting beliefs to make your invisible garden a place of refuge and a place of growth.

Copyright 2023 Kesel Wilson (entirely, 100% human-created)

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