Yard Work

Our home sits on a small plot of land with a relatively small front lawn and a wooded backyard covered with ivy. It’s easy ignore the woods and ivy and focus on the front, the part visible from the street, but I’ve recently decided to look at it all. It’ll be a big job, given the years of neglect, and it will require consistent effort over many months. As is so often the case, I can’t help but see the similarities between my home and spiritual landscapes.

Like my home, my spiritual life is not much, but it’s mine. There’s more than enough to keep me busy. There’s the side people see, and the other which is hidden. Too often, I’ve focused (unsuccessfully) on the part people see and ignored that other. “No one will see it” I’ve said to justify my apathy.

Addressing the dead trees, overgrown bushes, and incessant ivy at our house is a big job. Instead of trying to do what is needed in a weekend, I have decided to adopt the 12-step model of doing things one day at a time. I will take things slowly, but consistently. Eventually, I’ll make it from one end of the property to the other. It won’t be perfect, but I’ll make progress, and there’ll always be more to do. Still, it will be more than I’ve done.  

As I make my way through the work, I plan to think about the small, consistent steps I can take spiritually. There are dead trees, overgrown bushes, and pervasive ivy within me, as well. It’s a big job and it can fast become overwhelming, but taking it one step at a time, I can make my way through. 

In the end, there will be a clearing away and the possibility of new growth, which is all I can hope for.