Tending To Tendencies

I’ve been thinking a lot about tending this month – things to which we tend and things we tend to do. The former requires attention, intention, and mindfulness. The latter is writ, thoughtless, and sometimes unintentional. 

This month, I’ve been tending to the land near our house removing the invasive honeysuckle, which is beginning to leaf. I fill barrels and bins with it to allow it to dry out before piling it to compost. It is so pervasive and intense that it requires a lot of attention, time, and repetition to remove it. Hopefully, in doing so, the plants and trees that we wish to take root here will thrive in their absence. 

This ritual removal makes me think of the thoughts and/or habits that I tend to do without intention. I tend to believe that there is never enough time. I tend to judge myself for being tired. I tend to eat a few extra bites of food when I know that I’m already full. 

Like the stubbornly successful honeysuckle, I pull up these thoughts and plant new ones – repeatedly. Those stubborn and pervasive tendencies can be replaced with new ones that are better suited for their environment. I just have to call on patience that it is impossible to achieve in one go. 

This illustration comes from the Spring Issue of Woolgathering, my quarterly publication about the seasons and seasonal mindfulness. If you’d like a free sample issue of Woolgathering, visit here to get yours!

#image description A pair of wellies, a spade, and a watering can are illustrated in a trio against a muddled, watercolor background.