She took a step back, her bare feet grounding her into the earth. She stared intently at the stalky and bare, budding hydrangea bush. Soon enough, it would be filled with big, cotton ball like clusters of blue and purple flowers, but not yet. In order to reap the beautiful benefits she first had to put in some work. With her sheers in her hand it was time to prune away from the bush all that was dead and no longer needed.
It was a task she should have completed in the fall, but had never found the time to complete, putting it off over and over until the dark days of winter had set in. But like the seasons do, autumn and winter had come and gone, and now it was spring, and she had no choice. If she didn't prune away the dead parts of the plant it would effect the overall health of the hydrangea and it's soon to be blooms.
She knew that pruning a plant is not a task that should be done in haste. One has to make sure they are cutting away the correct limbs. Limbs that are slowing the development of the plant, keeping it from reaching its full potential. Spotting what she needed, she leaned slowly towards the hydrangea bush, gently working around newly developed leaves and small buds. She grabbed the stem with one hand as the shears in her other hand found their way around the dry, lifeless limb. Flinching ever so slightly, she cut at the base of the limb. She took a step back holding the dead branch, eyeing the plant again. "Yes, that one definitely needed to go." she thought. With each careful and deliberate cut she made, the growing buds became more visible. She could almost imagine what it would look like come the end of July.
She closed her eyes and leaned her head back, the sun warming her soul. "Pruning a bush is so much like life," she thought, as she held the dead, dry branch in her hand. Knowing who or what to prune from your life is not a task done in haste. It is often something you know needs to be done, but so often wait until there is no choice. And even then, when we make the cut, many times we still flinch. We still wonder did I do the right thing? Will this really help me grow? Luckily, she had observed the laws of nature enough to know that when done with good intention and great care pruning away what was no longer needed would in fact bring about the most beautiful results. It clears away the mess and distractions, helping you to see the potential instead of the uncertainty.
Standing out there in the warm sunshine with life erupting all around her, she suddenly felt renewed and alive, like anything was possible.
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