Bad Habits…

When someone brings up the question of bad habits, many would give go to answers, regarding all sorts of things in themselves they find distasteful or negative. Usually, the habit or habits named will come in the form of a physical or verbal example, i.e., swearing to much, gossiping too much, drinking too much, sleeping around too much.. I think you see where this is going.

There is a sizeable amount of responses that go further inland towards the heart, like, talking too much, praying too selfishly, judging others too quickly, becoming angry too quickly, choosing self over others too often… stuff like this.

Sadly, not enough of us take the time to go deeper still, to the fertile soil of our heart, taking our shoes off and walking between the rows of our neatly tended, or sometimes neglected, character… the roots of us, nestled deeply within our vessel.

Personally, I don’t give a hooey about my surface traits! Don’t get me wrong, as I am far from perfect. What I mean is that, what you see on the surface of me is merely, the result of what is embedded deeply within my vessel. You on the outside of me, only see the surface of this garden, while I on the other hand usually can be found wandering around my own mid level garden, picking the flowers that I find beautiful, quickly snipping off the dead or dying growth that is visible… if anyone comes seeking me, I want this garden to look as lovely and as inviting as possible, so you’ll stay awhile.

It takes a great amount of effort and dedication for humans, myself included, to spend time barefoot in our own gardens of the heart, pulling out the weeds that choke out all the beautiful and fragrant flowers, up above, in the mid level of our vessel. 

The secret to all the surface stuff… is to keep the garden safe, clean, and fertile for tending the healthy growth of what reaches the sun, or at least the light of day.

I know I have just waxed poetic about tending our gardens, making it seem as if I have it all figured out… well, I don’t! 

What I can say is this, knowing a thing, makes you think on a thing, thereby spending time with a thing, to become better at dealing with, or doing, a thing… say that ten times fast!

Sometimes, for myself, I get a bit tangled up in my surface, and/or even my midlevel bad habits, becoming exhausted with the work of it. When this happens I forget to take my shoes off and head for the garden. 

I find myself surrounded by loneliness, anger, lack of confidence, doubt, hopelessness… and I misplace my joy in all the mess.

Here is where my notes come in extremely handy!

Note To Self #25 reminds me that what I am shoveling around on the surface, is not who I really am, it’s just the result of FORGETTING who I really am!

“You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” A.A. Milne