Watch What’s Growing Next to You

My garden taught me to be aware of what is growing in the lives of the people around me. 

My lovely neighbor has morning glories on our property line blooming beautiful, purple flowers all summer long. Because morning glories are fast-growing, invasive vines, I now have morning glories taking over the wildflower garden I planted on my side of our property line. When, with my neighbor’s permission, I prune the morning glories, I think about the life parallels: what is growing in the lives of the people around me, may end up creeping into mine.  

Like my garden, simply due to proximity, I have found things that I did not plant, good and bad, creeping into my life. I’ve enjoyed the good, like the strong work ethic I inherited as I matched the energy of my colleagues who were focused on their careers. And just like the morning glories, because one can have “too much of a good thing”, I had to ensure that my work didn’t take over my entire life. I have also had bad things creep into my life, like the time I started smoking cigarettes because all the cool girls in my college dorm smoked. This habit, much like the treacherous morning glory was extremely difficult to uproot. 

Paying attention to the lesson my neighbor's vines have to offer, has taught me to ensure that the people around me have things growing in their lives that I am ok with creeping into mine.   

This web site is provided for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute providing medical advice or professional services. The information provided should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, and those seeking personal medical advice should consult with a licensed physician.

Photo by Randy Fath on Unsplash