Tending to Your Inner Garden: A Lesson in Self-Care
Today, I unexpectedly had the house to myself—a rare occurrence these days. After dropping my two girls at school and a quick trip to Lowes, I decided to spend the day working in my garden and yard.
This is a sweet yet demanding season in my life. I'm running my own business, working full-time as a therapist, and raising two daughters. (And those are only a few of the hats I wear!) Often, I feel there's not enough time, not enough of me. When space opens up, so much demands my attention—people I want to see, projects I want to work on, trainings I want to pursue. Then there are the ever-present house projects and mundane tasks like dishes and laundry (which always make me want to purge everything!). Sometimes, I find myself overwhelmed.
But today, I cancelled plans and listened to my need to "tend" to our house. This year, I've tried to keep my garden simple and focus on what brings me joy—a cutting garden, cucumbers, cabbage (which unfortunately became a snack for the bugs), and lots of herbs. As I mowed, weeded, and planted, I pondered what it means to "tend" and to take space.
I recently heard the invitation to tend to my life as a gardener would tend to their garden. This idea resonated deeply with me. We are each responsible to care for our own gardens and we are also responsible to create the space and margin that we need. The more I do, the more space I need. It's easy to believe that caring for others is more important, yet I know the quality of my care improves when I have space for myself—when I don't get lost in others' needs, but can love them from a refreshed place (an actually more grounded place).
I used to think I needed to fill myself up solely to pour out to others. Now, that's changing. My own therapist recently offered a powerful insight: I deserve rest, period. We all do. We deserve to fill up to be full, not just to serve. Operating from this place feels entirely different.
As I power-washed our sidewalk, making the sidewalk look new again, I reflected more on how I feel called to "tend" in this season. Yes, there's much demanding my attention, but instead of being overwhelmed, I want to tend to things as I can—my relationships, my clients, myself, digging deeper and paying attention to the things in my life.
Often, it's tempting to always start new or buy new, rather than caring for what we have and finding contentment there. Running away when overwhelmed is especially tempting. Yet the tending, is actually an invitation to build a stronger foundation. To learn to rest in love—to know my own worth and bathe in it. (To wipe away the layers of grime and build up). And that's what this summer is asking me—to be my own gardener. To care for this precious life.
In our fast-paced lives, it's easy to overlook the quiet tasks of tending—to our homes, gardens, relationships, and most critically, to ourselves. This unexpected solo day reminded me that in nurturing what we already have, in being our own patient gardeners, we find not just growth, but deep, sustaining peace.
As we navigate our busy seasons, may we all remember to tend to our inner gardens. The yield, though sometimes unseen, is bountiful beyond measure.
Wishing you the best in your own journey.
-Lauren
