Weed Fear Out to Seed Self-Worth: A Seasonal Shift is Coming

Oh my, we, here in Colorado, had 1 week of 60 degrees (of course followed by snow and freezes), but that week gave me the sweetest taste of springtime. So let’s connect to spring for a bit, humor me….

Reflection questions:

What is the bridge or connection between our winter focus on rest and resilience with spring’s weeding and seeding theme?
What comes up for you in that question and thought?
What are the images, metaphors, smells, thoughts?

I love this quote as it reflects broadly how Nature offers numerous lessons and ways to reflect on our own lived experienced:

Life in nature expresses itself through myriad variations: intensity, dormancy, growth, decay, seasons, climates, and changing shapes, textures and dimensions…Reflecting on this is a beautiful way to think about how you might meet the conditions of your inner landscape and thrive with them.”

- Rochelle Calvert, Healing with Nature, p. 53

In Winter especially, I see how Nature demonstrates so many lessons in resting and building resilience knowing that growth and renewal will come afterwards - spring.

For me, as a gardener, I let the beds rest under blankets of leaves and snow to keep out some of the early weeds of spring as I prepare the seeds indoors with warmth, light, and care. These blankets of leaves also protect the beneficial insects over the cold days until they can emerge safely supporting Team Tamara.

A seed has no room for fear, it is focused on grounding down so that it can grow up to the light. Yet weeds are what can block the light and nutrients. Although weeds are often misplaced plants so even with that idea - a weed of a fear or thought is misplaced - it grew there likely to protect you at some time in the past. With that idea - can you feel a bit more self-compassion?

However, the fears that feed imposterism make it a weed that poisons the foundation of that self-compassion and self-worth. Imposterism is a tool used to keep folks operating in a deficit mindset. Fear fuels behaviors, such as overworking, that promote production prioritization where folks stay in the status quo because they are too exhausted to shift.

How this shows up for high achievers - ya know me and, like, everyone I work with and know - think that we can just keep on over performing and over working. We think that the label of ‘super-human’ or ‘super mom’ is compliment.

I know that I did for a long time - it’s how I kept waking up each day to juggle career pursuit of promotion and tenure, being the best mom, having the best garden and yard, beekeeping to save the bees, training for this and that, and enrolled in _____ to learn more about my next shiny squirrel project. The never ending to-do list. The inability to sit still without something in my hands or on my lap because I ‘should’ be doing.

We’ll chat another time about how that all worked out for me…but you can guess, ‘not well.’

In the meantime, be sure you’re signed up for Spring’s Grow Boldly series.