When Nate Berkus paid a visit to Oprah at her home in Montecito, CA, she showed him (and us) her field of blooming lavender. It was glorious and occupied at least an acre of her property. It was obvious that Oprah enjoyed sharing this favorite spot with all of us.
Since I’ve resumed gardening, I understand her pleasure. Visitors to my home are given a garden tour as soon as they arrive.
My little garden bears no resemblence to Oprah’s vast estate, however. It is located on the long, skinny balcony that runs across the front of my condo.
I’m learning to keep things alive despite the intense heat that arrives every afternoon as the sun blasts my garden for several hours. The bordering pear trees provide shade for some of the day, thank goodness, and that makes growing a bit easier for all of my herbs and flowers.
There’s lavender in my garden, too, but it’s a single pot, not a field. It gives me as much pleasure, I suspect, as Oprah’s gives her. I plan to add another pot of a more fragrant variety than the one I began with.
It’s been nearly a dozen years since I created my last garden and every day this new one brings me pleasure. In a garden—or a business—one idea or activity tends to spawn another and another. I love watching the evolutionary process in action.
This one, like my previous gardens, has reminded me of another important thing. It is, in fact, one of the basic principles of my goal-setting philosophy. When making a change or enriching your life, expand from where you are with what you’ve got.
That seems so obvious to me, but not everyone seems to realize that you don’t have to wait for perfect conditions or a large windfall or a Montecito estate in order to begin.
Have you ever noticed that folks who complain about everything they don’t have aren’t very good at using what they do have? Bemoaning what’s missing, tends to make what’s present invisible.
That is not the road to happiness or accomplishment.
It’s also not necessary. “Empty pockets never held anyone back. Only empty heads and empty hearts can do that,” said the wise Norman Vincent Peale.
Entrepreneurs seem to make mobilizing the resources at hand into an art form. They discover that turning on their imagination opens the door to opportunities that are right at their fingertips.
So what are you going to plant this week? Or beautify? Or mobilize? How can you put something to work on your behalf that you already have?
After all, a garden or a business doesn’t have to be big in order make a beautiful difference.
“Bemoaning what’s missing, tends to make what’s present invisible.”
Very wise words for me today!
Barbara, this is so good and one I need to remind myself. After going through the discovery of breast cancer, chemo and 3 surgeries I felt like my world was done. Bui as I started getting better (anesthesia and chemo did a number on my brain to where I thought “what brain”) and taking my daughter-in-law’s dog as they could only have 1 dog, Zoe’s curiosity started me thinking. I am almost 70 and just beginning to get back to life. I had been a traveling transcriptionist until a year ago so going through chemo brought a lot of depression. No longer, today is a good day, had e-mail messages with good things in them and yours was the topping. I am almost back to my normal energy and in some ways more as I am not working like I used to and walking more.
Continue the good work. Thanks so much.