Prune

You prune in summer to (temporarily) restrict growth. You prune in winter to promote growth. The plant is a complex system, much of which is hidden beneath the ground. During winter it rests, preparing to push nutrients and water into the branches to make new leaves in the spring. If branches are removed all of those assets will seek new channels of expression. Growth will break out with renewed vigour and in the most surprising places.

As with plants, so with souls. Ruthless removal of inconvenient aspects of our lives without any understanding of what drives them isn't likely to achieve the improvement we hope for. One ounce of understanding will be a lot more productive for us than a ton of repression.

Photo: Nikon D7100, Micro Nikkor 105mm F2.8

Comments

Elaine Dent said…

Thank you for those words about pruning. As for the photo, it has set me to pondering in ths advent season and I'm grateful. We can't see the whole, but we can imagine it. We can't even see the center, the source, but we know it is there or the petals we do see would not be held so upright. Meanwhile what we do see is actually uniquely beautiful in its incompleteness. Your photo gives much to ponder. May advent blessings abound.

15 December 2018 at 01:08

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