deadheading

my garden is heavy with blooms

and i spent some time

deadheading yesterday.

the finished blooms were snipped off

carefully leaving behind unopened blossoms

and the plants stood a little taller when i passed

by them with my scissors.

snip.snip.

i started to think about my life

which i often do when alone in my garden

and i reilized

that deadheading is a way of extending the life of a plant

and my life as well!

when i snip away at the blossoms that are finished blooming

i send a message to the plant that it isn't finished yet.

keep growing

keep blooming

keep being beautiful

don't set seed yet.

and for myself

keep growing

keep blooming

keep being beautiful

don't settle yet.

deadheading is a dilemna

if i leave the spent flower

it will turn into seeds which i can collect and plant next year.

if i snip it off,

the plant will continue to be  bright and beautiful

providing food and enjoyment.

as for me-

i deadhead.

i want to extend the life of my garden as long as possible

and i want to extend my life as long as possible too

which means

i need to do some deadheading

regularly.

perhaps it's as simple as

letting go of the past

taking care of myself

or perhaps it's more complicated

getting down to the root of what is going on for me in certain areas of my life

all i know for sure is

that when a plant has been deadheaded-

it stands taller

reblooms and lives alot longer

and that is waht i want for me.