Cutting Down the Bushes
I’ve had bushes in front of my house since I purchased it about 10 years. I’ve never liked them. I would trim them back and try my best to make them look decent, but I’ve always wanted to get rid of them.
I finally did it yesterday afternoon.
I took my chainsaw and went to town. In a matter of minutes the hedges that grew in front of my dining room window for years were now a thing of the past. All that remained were the roots.
There are many things in life that are like these hedges. We stay in a bad relationship for fear of the loneliness that will follow. The nagging thought that no one else will ever love you, even though you don’t feel love right now. So people stay.
We stay in a glass ceiling job because we are afraid to take a risk that will either bring a nice payday or financial ruin. We stay because we wonder if we can hack the future that is uncertain, while staying in a lifeless job has no unforeseen future. So no fears either.
We stay where we are because it’s comfortable. Comfort is good, but sometimes we confuse comfort for safe. It’s like a 20 year mattress that has lost all its support, but it dips and curves to every part of your body. The mattress isn’t good in the long run, but it works, so why change?
I had a friend who would compare life’s changes like a haircut. She would wrestle with making a change of style. She would get the nerve and allow the beautician to start cutting away the locks that needed to go. She was putty in their hands. Once the hair is cut, it’s no going back. But she would always say, that when she leaves she feels so much better. The change was needed. It was like a fresh breath. She would say, why didn’t I do this sooner?
So, what are you thinking of now? What is something that you wished you had done sooner?
I wish I had cut back the bushes years ago. I wouldn’t have wasted all that time trimming something I didn’t like. But lesson learned.
Life has two views – the future or the past. Philosophically is there ever really a present because the decision you decided a split second ago is already in the past. A missed shot, a swerve of a car, a call of a coin toss…is in the past the moment you decide it.
You can dwell on your past or your future. What are you dwelling on?
It’s good to recollect your past, but when your reminiscing take priority over planning for your future or living your life, then you need to re-evaluate your time.
When you drive you need to watch ahead of you and behind you, but you need to watch what is ahead of you more than looking in your rear view mirror. if you needed to look behind you more, your rear view mirror would bigger than your windshield, but it’s not.
So keep pressing forward!
Do you have any hedges that need removing? Today is a perfect day to bite the bullet.
Peace
