Lessons in a Garden: Weeding for Life

A couple of days ago, there was quite a bit of rain.
I was waiting for this, and before the ground got rock hard again (Indian summer!), I got down on my hands and knees and began to weed.
As I struggled to pull out the nasties suffocating the flower bed, I thought of the "weeds" in my head.

People who give advice or "good seed" sometimes leave seeds of weeds mixed in. Leave them be, and they'll be rampant all over your head.


As I weeded, I learnt me a few life lessons.


1. The ground needs to be moist
If your ground is hard, you can't pull them out. You can't be fixed in your thoughts, or fixated on your feelings. When something happens to put you in a flexible mindset,  you're ready to pull it off. Sometimes, it can be a chance meeting with a friend, or something you read, or something you're doing.
I do it best when I'm "organizing" or clearing things up, even if its just my computer.


2. Locate your weeds
Weeds overgrow your plants- if you aren't really careful, you could pull out the plants that you bought, planted, nurtured, even saw some flowers on. Be careful to put aside the positive uplifting words that even mean, spiteful people give away. Don't pull out your relationships, only the things in them that pull you down.


3. Pulling weeds takes force.You cannot remove negative, rooted thoughts without spending time, energy, and pressure. Expect some mind-churning - this isn't a cakewalk.

4. Weeds Network at a shallow level
Have you ever seen a weed, all by itself, digging down into the bedrock? NO! Weeds need other weeds to network. 1 thought of 1 person, connected to what another person said, and before you know it, the things you're reaching for, can hardly be seen.

5. Bugs live under Weeds.
If you thought the weeds were the worst part? I had ants bite my toes and hands before I scooted for protective gear. I thought it wouldn't be a big deal- the weeds were hardly there a few weeks. Until you start pulling out their negative words, people dont turn back and bite you.

6. Sometimes you can't do it all at the first try.
Some roots are too hard, or you've used up all energy, or legs hurt- whatever it is that stops you.Go back and pull that negative thoughts/words again when you're feeling better.

Don't give up- there's a whole garden waiting for your touch.
And if you didn't get it- Weeding is Power.

Take Control- Figure out your Healthy Filling Snack. Fruit & Nut Evening Snack

Mid-evening.
Hunger growls like a bear.
And before I reach for the calorific, indulgent snack- I think about those Signature Levis, on the top of my shelf, which I cant wear yet.

So I plan my snack.
I don't know where I read this- but here goes:
"A combination of fruits and nuts create an explosive mixture which gives a feeling of fullness" far above 2 packs of potato chips.

 This is just a dinner-in-2-hours snack.  And if you do it right, you may also cut a bit of carbs off the dinner plate and have a bit more energy too!

So what makes a healthy snack, that:
Fills you, keeps you mentally alert till the big meal, and lets you get in a 15-min exercise stint in a half hour?

Fibre, Protein, healthy fat and minimal carbs.
1 small serving of Fresh Fruit + Dried fruit or nuts + a cereal/toast, Pure & simple

The operative word is Small


So, say, 1/3rd of an apple, - diced, with the peel OR 3-4 strawberries OR a few blueberries or blackberries
or a 1/4 of an orange/ tangerine etc plus
2-3 thinly sliced almonds or pistachio or walnuts
plus 4-5 raisins or a couple sliced dates, fresh or dried
2-3 tbsp of Muesli

Fully dried Figs, A big Thumbsup!

And you're good to go!

Somedays, like today, while I'm writing this post, and can't be bothered to do all that- I'm good with 2 dried figs and a huge glass of water, the fillingness is awesome. You may be able to find these fully-dried Flat figs in the Ethnic or arabic aisle. I' m not too fond of the semi-dried squishy ones which still retain shape & moisture-  I haven't found them to be as filling, but hey, they'll do in a pinch. Think of the Fibre, calcium, iron and sugars in these babies :)

You could also
arrange a few slices of apple on a slice of lightly-buttered whole grain toast, a pat of peanut butter or almond butter or cashew butter, sprinkle some raisins/ or dates or pomegranate seeds for sweetness

Semi-dried

Happy Snacking.
Going to go squeeze in those jeans and try to stretch them again...