I decided to share this article I read in a recent magazine: (excuse any typo errors)

A Gardener's Guide to Life

1) You get to chose how you welcome each day - If you choose to approach each day with an "I can't wait to go outside to see my garden" instead of "I have to pull weeds again" attitude, your life will be a lot happier.

2) In order to create something beautiful, you have to get dirty - Whether it's flowers, your marrige, family or a career, the best things come with their fair share of dirt. Remember this the next time your kids leave their muddy boots in the kitchen or a co-worker spills coffee on your keyboard.

3) The grass insn't greener on the other side of the fence - It's greener where you water it most. So, instead of wanting what others have, spend more time making what you already have better.

4) A garden has plants that provide beauty, as well as those that provide sustenance - It's the same in life. Not everyone or everything has to do it all. That includes you.

5) A plant that grows best in the sun won't thrive in the shade - This is true no matter how much water or fertilizer you give it. It's the same with children. If your daughter hates gymnastics or can't do math, don't make her feel bad because of it. Focus on her true talents and don't try to make her into something she's not.

6) Sometimes, what makes a garden grow can smell pretty awful - Take a whiff of fish fertilizer and you'll know what I mean. It's important to remember that we all get our nourishment in different ways. What helps one person grow and bloom may not work for another.

7) A garden needs extra care in times of stress - If it has been cold or windy, or hasn't rained in months, plants have a tough time surviving. The same is true in life. When the world around you is full of difficulties and challenges, you must take care to nurture your relationships with everyone, including yourself.

8) Weed or flower? It's in the eye of the beholder - A child might pluck a dandelion, make a wish and blow on it, or search through the clover for good luck. As adults, we often forget that there is the possibility for beauty in all things. So, before you yank another weed from your garden or your life, make sure it doesn't have something to offer that you might have overlooked.

9) Gardening requires sharp tools and a big heart - Your sharpest tool is your mind, but unless you also use your heart in making daily decisions, you'll never be happy with the life you've cultivated.

10) If you plant a seed before the ground is ready, it will shrivel and die - Things in nature can't be forced. The same is true in life. You can't potty train your child before she's ready, give your teen more responsibility than she can handle or expect your husband to act like an adult before he's 80! (LOL)

11) When looking at your garden, focus on what needs to be straightened or trimmed or pulled - Just as often, however, you need to step back and see the garden as a whole, soaking in its beauty and ignoring the tiny imperfections. Isn't it time to step back from your life and appareciate how bountiful it truly is?

12) Half the fun of gardening is seeding what the squirrels have planted - The truth is, things in life almost never turn out as you planned. You can either spend each day being angry and frustrated by this, or learn to accept and look forward to life's little surprises.

13) A garden is for sharing - Let the birds, the bees and your neighbors enjoy it. When you keep too much to yourself, you lose out on the joy that comes from giving. Whether it's zucchini, love or a special talent, you'll feel much better about what you have if you give some of it away.

14) Admire other people's gardens, but don't love yours any less - It's fine to wonder what it might be like if you were the mother of the smartest kid in the school, or to occasionally fantasize that you're married to George Clooney. As long as you realize that reality is never like fantasy and what you already have is really special, you'll be just fine.

15) Before you plant anything, prepare the soil - If you plant a shrub in heavy clay, it won't thrive. Make sure your children thrive by preparing what they need to grow: moral values, spiritual principles, and a sense of wonder and joy, and the knowledge that you'll always be there for them.

16) While it never hurts to plan, it's just as important to stay flexible - So your dream of becoming a Nobel prize-winning mother of three who writes spy novels in her spare time didn't turn out as planned. What's wrong with being a "Best Mom" winner of an adopted child - who writes grocery lists in her spare time?

17) Gardening is much more pleasant when you understake it with the people you love - Think about the things you've been doing by yourself that would be much better if shared with friends and family. Now go ahead and share the wealth.

18) No matter how many books you read on a subject, you still need to get your hands dirty - When it comes to life, there's no substitute for experience.

19) You have to prune away the old growth to make room for the new - Perhaps you've been holding on to the old ideas for so long that you think you can't grow. Let go of what's holding you back, and you'll soon find yourself blooming in ways you never thought possible.

20) Some friends are annual - They pop into your life once a year and give it a quick burst of color. Others are perennial. They come back year after year, and you can always count on them. There's room in your life for both.

Carrie (not the original author)