Prune when necessary:
As I was sitting on my back patio, I notice that one of the larger trees in the back had experienced a growth spurt! Actually, I’m being a bit modest, it had grown to the point that the branches were now forming under my patio roof. I was trying to decide if I should call and have the landscaping company come out and cut the branches back, but I kind of like it! It doesn’t seem to be causing a problem and it’s supplying my patio with extra shade as well as giving it that cozy feel! For this reason, I decided to hold off for a minute and just keep an eye on it. I then started thinking about how we should treat relationships, careers, family, even our personal lives. Everything at one point was a seed that was planted. It can be an actual seed planted into the ground, a thought or idea planted into the mind, or people and things planted in our lives. Whatever the case may be, we must plant when and where the soil is good, be patient and allow it to grow, observe and recognize when growth is going in the wrong direction, and know when to prune.  Sometimes this means removing what is dead; uprooting what is rotting or cutting away something that is restricting growth. All of these things are done to ensure that everything grows and takes shape into becoming the best version of what it was meant to be. As I contemplated the fact that I was about to be living in a treehouse soon, I decided that for now I will keep the tree the way it is and treat it like everything else in my life… plant, grow, and prune when absolutely necessary! (FLL-2010)
PHOTO: Adam Crowley