I had a corporate career for about 17 years. For the last several I kept saying, “just three more years that I need to work in this field, just three more years.” And saying that every year meant that I kept pro-longing my desires and an attention to my life. Leaving the field was a long journey, but one that included people and ideas and signs that I was not to stay stuck. Eventually I did leave that field but by that time my attention to me was not where it needed to be. I had neglected myself.
Fortunately I fell into spiritual direction**. For at least two years I met with a spiritual director who taught me how to pray. At one of those meetings she suggested that in my prayer time I think of an image of where I was at the moment. That image that I began to carry with me was an unattended, weedy garden. It was a starting place***.
Reflective questions:
1. What image do you conjure when you consider your life at this moment?
2. What does God* want you to know about this image?
* I use the term God as a universal term. You may decide that Great Spirit, Allah, Higher Power, etc. better suits you for today. It is not for me to decide.
**For more information about spiritual direction or to find a spiritual director, check out Spiritual Directors International at www.sdi.org
***One place it led me was to a book by Harriet Crosby called A Well-Watered Garden, A Gardener's Guide to Spirituality. I have been using it for years and it has moved me to an image of a robust well-maintained garden that needs attention, with God's help and my best interest in mind, to individual areas from time to time.
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