Are you giving yourself enough space?
This weekend was the first opportunity I had to start sorting out my gardens.
I pulled weeds. I cleared the debris from last year’s garden. And, the biggest job of all - cutting back my tansy.
Two years ago, I was gifted a small sprig of tansy, a lovely native plant with feathery green foliage and dainty yellow flower clusters. In the garden it came from, it grew almost 3 feet tall.
When I brought it home, I tucked it into a spot in the middle of my garden where there was just enough space for it.
To say the tansy was happy in my garden bed is an understatement!
The next summer the stalks grew to 5 feet tall! And the tansy grew to probably ten times the size it was when I planted it.
Too bad the spot that I planted it in wasn’t big enough for this giant plant!
So this weekend, I pulled most of it out, and it was a job. They have this thick, running root system that ran helter skelter through my garden bed. It took ages to cut it back, but I’m so pleased with the result. I tucked small bits of tansy in the back of my garden beds and I’m prepared to keep the original tansy patch under control.
Though this tansy lives in my garden, there are other areas of my life where metaphorical tansy shows up:
In my hobbies: I tend to have a lot of them. And even when I start small, they tend to grow and take up a lot of time and space in my life. And in my basement! Looking for supplies for calligraphy, quilling, sewing, quilting, candle making, weight lifting, embroidery, crocheting, linocut block printing, scrapbooking? You’ll find plenty! Even when I’m not actively engaged in that hobby.
In my inbox: I’m a big believer in learning and growth and I’ll let you guess how many courses are sitting - in various stages of completion - in my inbox. One of my goals this year is to finish them all without accumulating new ones! Wish me luck!
In my calendar: I always believe I have time for everything that’s important to me AND everything that’s interesting. And I’m sure you can predict what happens: I find myself overloaded and overwhelmed with all the good things. Over and over and over again.
I like to believe all of these things happen because I’m so positive and optimistic; I truly do always feel like there’s enough room in my life for all of the things I want to do. And there is. But I can’t have them all at once.
Just like I have to make hard decisions about how much space I let my tansy take up in my garden, I also have to make hard decisions about what I let take up room in my life. And when it’s time to focus on them.
And though I still have a long way to go, I’ve gotten better at saying no. At saying “later” and meaning it. At putting the supplies back on the shelf because I know I don’t have time for that project. At not signing up for new art workshops when I’m already overloaded (though I do still let myself look!) and at blocking off time in my schedule where I don’t add meetings. Even fun ones.
And it makes a difference. I never want to feel overwhelmed when I look at my calendar again. I never want to blink and find my tansy has overrun my garden (physical or metaphorical) again.
I deserve to give myself enough space.
And so do you.
Use these prompts as written or as inspiration to uncover what you need in your life this week. And know that I’m always here to support you and answer questions you have along the way!
What have you welcomed into your life with an overabundance of enthusiasm?
What is the metaphorical tansy in your life that needs to be cut back?
What is it taking resources away from?
What kind of boundaries do you need to draw so you keep each part of your life stays in balance?
What kind of regular maintenance does this require?
What part of your life needs MORE space to grow?
What do you need to say no to at this time so you can have more of what you want?
One Journaling Idea I Love:
Give Yourself Constraints
Sometimes the more constraints we give ourselves, the more creative we can allow ourselves to be.
Try adding some fun constraints to your journaling for a day or two:
Do a gratitude list from A to Z. Or Z to A.
Write in rhyme
Challenge yourself to use as many words that start with the letter S as possible
(Or B. Or any letter you choose!)
Give yourself just six words to express each idea
Write your post from the perspective of an inanimate object in your room
Or anything else fun that you can think of. It’s a great way to shake things up and awaken our creativity!
More Good Stuff
Good Things Come to Those Who Journal: The Livestream - We’re back this
Tuesday at 8pm Eastern. This week I’ll be talking about habit trackers (yes, they’re definitely a journaling tool!) and both the value they can add and the dangers they can pose for us overachievers. Tune in to LinkedIn, YouTube, or Facebook.
This month’s Journaling Mini-Retreat is on Wednesday, May 17 at 7:30 pm Eastern. We’ll be talking about impact and purpose. Register for free HERE.
Happy Journaling!
What a beautiful basket -- and life -- you are weaving!
As The Parent GPS I love this idea of using your journal to get to the destination!