Weeding the Garden and the Stream of Life.

WARNING: STRONG USE OF METAPHORS AHEAD!!!

When I was in college I wrote a short note on my theory of life.

I wrote that life was like a stream, every flowing, every changing, and we are but a leaf on this stream,

flowing along, 

every once in awhile we rest on a bank,

 only to be swept into the current again and headed on our way,

Along this stream of life, we encounter many others, other leaves such as ourselves, or those logs, rocks twigs, waterfalls

 obstacles, voyages, adventures..., 

These obstacles shape us.. literally, they either tear holes in us or they make us stronger for surviving..

The cycle repeats itself until we reach our ultimate and final destination... and whatever else survived the journey, we can only hope to be reunited with, in the "great pond" 

Over the Years the metaphor has changed, Often times I am convinced Life is more Like a Garden; 

we are a flower in this garden.

The More Our garden is watered, with love, the stronger we grow

 We are all start out as seeds, planted in this great garden together, some are already grown when we enter the earth, others we grow with, we only come to know the true colors, (literally and figuratively in this sense) and natures of these co-flowers... some come in the form of flowers but turn out to be weeds.. over time we realize their true natures and we have to pluck them out, 

 They will only wilt you, you won't be able to stand strong, and bring your beauty to the world with these sorts of people in your garden...

But your roots are wrapped in theirs.. a
nd when they are picked, it hurts..
 Every.. time..
sometimes the weeds weed themselves out,
 that hurts the worst.
It's done with the  most blunt of force and tears a rip in your core...
 you don't bloom as bright for awhile,
 but after more water and sunshine you shine bright again,
and the cycle continues..

BUT THEN AGAIN..

Maybe we don't start out in the garden..
 maybe we are just planted and have to grow our own community around us,
 our own garden,
 we have to commune with the wildlife around us,
to help spread our seed,
to commune with neighboring flowers,

.. or maybe we are just lone flowers, 

 surviving in-spite of all obstacles..

 our friends are the eco system around us..

some help us to pollinate .

. and each time they come and go they take a piece of you with them

Some are Butterflies, 

gentle, happy, strong in character;

 they have overcome so much to blossom into what they are now.. their metamorphosis inspires you, they give you hopes and dreams to stew in, as you grow

Others are  Bees:

Hard working, social creatures, complacent, forward thinking, they help the world grow, but only for a moment, they are loyal but can still sting you... leaving a hole in your heart after they proverbially weed themselves out.

the weather also shapes us, we encounter storms, days of great sunshine, and both the water and the sun nourish us, just as the good and bad seasons of our life also shape us..

I have been thinking a lot about the relationships I have lost over the years, some of these relationships that ended were other seeds I was planted with.. WE grew together for a time, but we only knew each other superficially, as children..

 over time I grew, 

they grew,

 we didn't know the species of the other,  

time would reveal if we could co-exist peacefully. 

 Could we share soil? 

could we nurture each other?

 lift each other up? 

or suffocate each other's roots?

 wear each other down?

and as it turns out some species of flowers do not survive well with others...

I learned that the amount of time you know someone does not mark the strength of a relationship.. especially if you never took the chance to get to know each other's hearts... 

But the good news is, we are not confined to the ground we start out in.. we can uproot ourselves, start again, grow a new garden, each garden we visit, we live and we learn, what works, what doesn't, we carry our findings with us in the form of wisdom and each garden we grow is stronger than the last until finally we are in Eden again.. 

Life is full of Joy and Sorrow, Obstacles, and Trials. WE shape ourselves and the environment around us, we have the power to change, and grow, and bloom, wherever we are planted.. 

But Most importantly;

Love on Another.

Life is Short.

Make it Beautiful.