Okay, I’ll admit it, I have an addiction.  It is one my boyfriend, kids and even some friends have given me a hard time about, but it is one I can’t kick and now have figured out why.  I am a Petunia Plucker.  I literally cannot be in front of a petunia and not pluck off the dead leaves.  Why is this a problem you may ask?  Well I have three beautiful petunia plants on my front porch and even when sitting there “relaxing” with my sweetheart or someone else – I will get up every 2 minutes and pluck more flowers off. I finally have come to peace with this addiction and actually it is now a spiritual practice. I found this poem below written six years ago that explains it as well.

If you don’t know about Petunias and their upkeep I will fill you in.  Petunias are annual plants and I receive them every year from my kids for Mother’s Day (mid-May in the U.S.). This year I received another one from my sweetheart – so I have three gorgeous petunia plants on my porch.  Petunias will bloom all summer long as long as you pluck off the dead leaves and give them lots of water.  The petals are sticky but plucking them daily or every other day will ensure they keep flowering and are healthy full flowers all summer long.  They come in all colors and are truly beautiful.

Why do I absolutely love them?  What does it do for me to pluck them?  It is a meditative process. I love that if I show these flowers a little love and care each day – 5-10 minutes – they will bloom and give me pleasure all summer long. I could bitch and moan and complain about them being “high maintenance” and believe me I used to.  Now I have come to this love and deep appreciation of these flowers.  It is the same thing I tell my clients and myself about self-love.  If we tend to ourselves 5-10 minutes each day with weeding out the old stagnant energy (thoughts and emotions to us humans) we are allowing new energy to come in and form beauty.  It is that simple. When I get present with my petunias it brings me peace and joy because I know I am helping them stand in their own beauty and potential just as I do daily for myself and help my clients do with themselves.

So I am working on the need to pick them while being around others since it is not fair to be with others and be distracted. I even made it through a whole dinner at this beautiful local restaurant (Origins Cafe which is located in a greenhouse) where when we sat I literally had a petunia that needed some plucking right in my face.  Oh Vinny, my sweetie, was teasing me and my office roomie and friend Kate and her husband made some fun, but even as the dead petunia leaves fell on my bag I was able to abstain. So maybe I’m not a total addict.  But as someone that has really found something beautiful to do for 5-10 minutes a day that brings me and the people that visit me joy.   I’ll tell myself that anyway.

I wrote the below poem 8 years ago when my healing journey had just begun.  I had healed myself physically, but was seeing that the emotional, mental and spiritual journey had just begun.  What have you done today to pluck off what is no longer serving you so new energy can grow?  What do you want to remove from your life and replace with something else?  We all do have this power and it is truly not that hard.  You can read my book, “A Short Path to Change: 30 Ways to Transform Your Life” to learn 30 tools to move out of the old to create the life that you want.  I send lots of well wishes for you along the way.   Feel free to reach out and tell me about your journey!

Weeding My Thoughts to Plant New Seeds

By Jennifer Mannion 07/2008

I am weeding through

my thoughts

negative self talk

ugly words

that spread as many weeds have

in the unattended plot of dirt.

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The ones that have died

no longer feeling valid

come away easily

though tiring nonetheless.

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It is these little ones

peeking out

now you see them

now you don’t

depending on the sun, rain,

the way the wind is blowing that day.

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I take hold and pull

fully aware and present.

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They do come out with effort.

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I feel relief at their release.

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Time to plant good thoughts

the flowers to replace the barren dirt

turned up soil

the result of weeds removed.

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Just seeds at first

but I see the picture

on the seed package.

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I know they will ultimately be exquisite.

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I can visualize in my mind’s eye

the awakening to come

from deep inside.

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The Universe provides all the daily nutrients.

~~~~

I express gratitude for the constants.

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The sun, water,

air needed for survival

so fresh

given abundantly.

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I try to remain patient

present in the moment

grateful for the weeds pulled

and the work put in

as I wait for new growth.

~~~~

Anticipating

yet still pulling weeds.

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Daily upkeep is necessary

to prevent the weeds from threatening

impending beauty and

further development.

~~~~

Finally I can see

they are coming

slowly it seems

at first.

~~~~

Then suddenly

sprouting faster

than I could have imagined.

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The absolute beauty of the flowers

burst into life colors, smells

everything feels new

when you look at existence this way.

~~~~

I feel the flowers and myself

vibrating with aliveness.

~~~~

I enjoy the magnificence

while understanding

there is still work to be done.

~~~~

Dead-heading so new growth can continue.

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I give thanks when I reflect

on the transformation.

~~~~

The pure energy and thrill I get

every time I envision

the old weedy plot

and how far it has come.

~~~~

Since I am cognizant of the weeds

they come less often.

~~~~

There is less upkeep.

~~~~

Growth will continue

as long as I am present, thankful.

~~~~

How could I not be?

~~~~

Change is incredibly inspiring.