Gaining Ground: How To Add More Joy to Your Life

A lesson from gardening

There are always flowers for those who want to see them. — Henri Matisse

Just the other day, my husband and I were planting some blueberry bushes in our front yard. We commented on how we should cut down two large bushes growing near the front fence for years. On my 100-day journey exploring abundance, these bushes were our teachers.

It is a story about how you can gain ground in your life when you look at things differently and investigate the abundance that has been in the background.

It is fascinating how some things can fade into the background after years of seeing them. That is what happened with these plants.

The next day, it was sunny and bright outside. It was a perfect day to tackle those bushes, once and for all.

Little did we know how much they had grown and obstructed our view.

We got out a saw, some branch cutters, and a shovel. I set out to cut away branches while my husband sawed the bottom of the bush that had become a tree.

This bush was a puzzle and had many layers. Two cherry trees had grown in amongst the brush.

It took some time and effort to chop down the main trunk and branches. We were amazed at how much ground we gained by getting rid of this unwieldy plant.

We now had a whole large corner of planting space available.

Once we chopped down the second bush, our view opened up. It felt as if we had a new front yard.

In this area, we will plant two sour cherry trees and some red currant bushes. It has been a dream of mine for some time to be able to grow these fruits.

The stars aligned, and I was able to order the trees and bushes online yesterday. We are ready to change our garden into a space we love.

Today I will share three ways to gain ground in your life, just as we did in our garden.

Explore Your Life:

Take a moment to step back and explore your life, just as we did when we looked at our fence line and saw those overgrown bushes.

There may be things you have done forever, but they are not working for you anymore. There may be things in your home that are outdated or no longer comfortable.

Taking time to explore our lives and survey the land of our homes creates space. It sends a signal to the universe that we are looking for joy.

About two weeks ago, when I had a challenging day, I took a walk and explored my life. It was then that I discovered an interest in yoga.

I am so glad that I took some time to feel what I needed. I can now feel my body gaining strength and flexibility every day.

Another example of exploration is my husband did not have a proper place to put his laundry. Clothes would end up on the floor.

My son was upset because clothes and robes were on the floor when he made the bed in the morning. It was a signal for change.

That same day, I ordered a basket hamper for our room.

Sometimes solutions are right in front of us. We get used to doing things a certain way and get stuck. I admittedly got used to picking up clothes off the floor every day before doing the laundry.

Now, there is a better way!

How can you explore your life and your home for changes you can make?

Make Progress Each Day:

My daily yoga practice is teaching me to make a little bit of progress each day. When I started two weeks ago, I could not stretch as far as I can today.

I decided to do the basic routine for a while and master it. I will move on when I feel that I can complete the poses with ease.

Often we do not have patience with ourselves. We want to arrive at a certain point quickly. That impatience can cause us to work too much and burn out.

Instead, we can choose to make a little progress each day on our goals.

I do not expect myself to be a yoga master after two weeks, and this approach is very freeing.

For two weeks, I have stuck with the same 20-minute routine.

As of tomorrow, I am going to switch to a slightly longer, 30-minute yoga routine. It will allow me to make a little more progress.

It feels great to stretch more, easily touch my toes and bend down to pick things up without strain.

It is all due to showing up each day to practice yoga for a short time each morning. I find that it has become my morning exercise and my meditation at the same time.

The same goes for my writing practice. For almost one year now, I have shown up regularly to write, publish and share.

I started with a few followers and did not have a community of writers behind me. Ever since mid-March of 2020, my dedication to writing has grown from making a little bit of progress each day.

Now, I have over 1.3K followers, and I am about to complete my second 100-day writing journey.

Doing a little bit each day with purpose will cause you to gain ground in your life and allows you more joy.

Just this morning, I found myself smiling because I knew it was time to write.

How can you make a little progress each day towards your goals?

Stretch and Grow:

As you are gaining ground in your life by exploring, putting in a daily effort, and showing up, you create your dreams.

Now is the time to stretch yourself even more.

Just like we stretched ourselves to clear those bushes and create a new garden with the fruit we want to grow- you can reach beyond your comfort zone to create something new.

Plants always reach for the light. They grow up tall to get the nutrients they need to thrive.

When we reach for trying things out of our comfort zone, we stretch towards our goals. For example, my goal is to learn to speak up more in groups.

I am usually a quiet observer who does not talk much in group situations such as zoom calls. I know I need to get past my fears in this area.

This week I will stretch myself and come to a call with a question to ask. That way, I know there will be an opportunity for me to speak.

Finding my voice is stretching and growing.

We are all called to grow in different ways and directions.

How will you stretch and grow this year?

My prayer for you today is to find ways to explore, make progress every day, and grow. You can gain ground in your life and flourish. You will encounter more joy each time you work towards your goals, one step at a time.

Day #96: How will you explore, stretch and grow past your old limitations and gain ground in your life this week?

I am tagging some amazing fellow writers on this journey. They joined me on my 100-day spiritual journey, and it is an honor to have them here on this journey.

I ask that you read their beautiful work here on Medium. Thank you for your generosity!

Bob Jasper, Charlotte Zobeir Ali, Amy Marley, Jenine Bsharah Baines, Vishnu*s Virtues, Annick Batamuliza, Lanu Pitan, Neha Sandhir S, Rasheed Hooda, Gurpreet Dhariwal, Aurora Eliam, CMP, Terry Mansfield, Tree Langdon, Henery X, Nihan Kucukural, Sherry S, Annelise Lords, Cocoa Griot, Desiree Driesenaar, Dr. John Rose, Noma Dek, Tony Young, Jr., Joe Luca, Melissa Bee, and many more! Thank you!

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