Sunday, July 27, 2008

Cut Back to Grow

Growing flowers in a garden, whether in the ground or in containers, is the opposite of wildflowers. Wildflowers just pop up wherever they please, whether though the dead branches of another plant, through crevices in a rock, at the base of a tree or in the middle of an open field.

Flowers that we cultivate, on the other hand, need more meticulous care. They like it when we pinch off or cut off the flowers that have bloomed then withered. When we do that, the energy of the plant redirects itself to produce more flowers. Dead branches need to be cut off and then new branches grow from the place where it was trimmed back.

Look at the various branches in our life that may have withered, or the areas where we may have bloomed at one time. When we put away those things (hobbies, sports, interests, friends, jobs, etc) we are done with, we make a clean break from the past in a healthy way. Then we are free to grow new branches and flower again.

When was the last time you pruned, or cut back the old branches, to make way for new branches? When was the last time you experienced a new burst of growth?

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