Happy trees

Once upon a time, I had a beautiful chiflera plant. It's one of my favorite houseplants and I had one for about a year.  During that year I was single; it was just Kady and me living in a little apartment off of East State with our little plant. I've never been very good with plants - I joke that I have a black thumb - if you've seen our lovely jungle-in-the-dining-room, that's all Paul.  Regardless, I did have that one plant that thrived under my care.  Because I loved it.  And then I met Paul and my attention was elsewhere and my little plant withered and died. Sad for the plant, but fortunately it gave its life for a good cause. Twelve years later and more in love than ever, I’d say my attention was well spent.

We all know plants reproduce in different ways, but for many if not most, the process is some sort of dispersal of seeds.  Sometimes the seeds are dropped next to the plant, sometimes they are carried off by animals who get them caught in their coats, sometimes they are blown a fair distance by the wind and sometimes they are eaten by birds and dropped miles away. Regardless of how they travel, those seeds, under the right conditions, will produce new plants just like the ones from which they came.

Now here's the good part:  Emotions are like seeds! If you keep them in the light, pay attention to them and feed them and water them, they will grow and flourish and bear fruit and scatter seeds and produce new plants near and far depending on how the seeds are scattered, just like real plants.

This means, if your little seed (or your big seed!) is anger, guilt, resentment..., if you keep it in the light and feed it and water it and pay attention to it, it will flourish into a great big ugly tree of resentment that bears fruit that looks tasty, but will make you sick if you keep eating it, and others will see and eat and crap out seeds here and there, near and far, and it just keeps on keeping on, just like mother earth in all her beauty and wisdom intended for seeds to do.

However, if your little seed (no matter how small and insignificant it may seem) is happiness, hope, joy, faith, love..., if you keep THAT little seed in the light and feed it and water it and pay attention to it, it will flourish into a great big beautiful tree with flowers and yummy fruit and all sorts of happy critters that like to feed there and rest under its shade and play and climb in its branches and carry its seeds off in whatever manner they do to spread more of those happy trees all over the world. 

So, which seed will you pay attention to and keep in the light and cultivate?  Which one will you let wither and die?  Remember: It is ALWAYS your choice.