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.
~~~~
The ones that have died
no longer feeling valid
come away easily
though tiring nonetheless.
~~~~
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.
~~~~
I take hold and pull
fully aware and present.
~~~~
They do come out with effort.
~~~~
I feel relief at their release.
~~~~
Time to plant good thoughts
the flowers to replace the barren dirt
turned up soil
the result of weeds removed.
~~~~
Just seeds at first
but I see the picture
on the seed package.
~~~~
I know they will ultimately be exquisite.
~~~~
I can visualize in my mind’s eye
the awakening to come
from deep inside.
~~~~
The Universe provides all the daily nutrients.
~~~~
I express gratitude for the constants.
~~~~
The sun, water,
air needed for survival
so fresh
given abundantly.
~~~~
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.
~~~~
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.
~~~~
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.
~~~~
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.
This is such a beautiful post, Jenny. The petunia picking has taken on the aura of a self-affirming ritual – a wonderful transformation!
Thank you so much Reba! It has been a wonderful transformation and as it is getting colder and I am seeing my petunias look like they won’t last much longer – it is interesting to watch my sense of loss for such a ritual and also to think to myself, “what’s next?” Something that I used to think was a chore was such a blessings – I am looking for other areas of my life where I can bring that same transmutation!! Isn’t life amazing??? 🙂 <3 Grateful to be on this journey with you! <3
I love, love, love your poem, Jenny. What a beautiful way to phrase that important process. I love, especially, this part:
“Daily upkeep is necessary
to prevent the weeds from threatening
impending beauty and
further development.”
Daily upkeep really is necessary. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much Vironika and I am so grateful you enjoyed the poem! <3 Yes, daily upkeep is necessary and us humans are such self-sabotaging beings we will distract ourselves any way possible and tell us we can "just miss this day." I teach this stuff and know when I do not do daily upkeep my life feels like I am just a participant and not the creator. Such a powerful difference and if it is a few minutes a day - it is kinda a no brainer... but yet it is. 😉 Life is so very interesting and beautiful - we get to learn all the time and then ask ourselves what we will do with that newest lesson. Grateful to have you here commenting - thank you! <3
This: Finally I can see
they are coming
slowly it seems
at first.
~~~~
Then suddenly
sprouting faster
than I could have imagined.
Beautiful imagery for all kinds of planting, tending, and sowing. Thanks. Will share.
Thanks so much Sue! Greatly appreciated!We all need that planting, tending and sowing! <3 Being around a person that exudes this kind of love and self-upkeep is just as beautiful to be as being in the most gorgeous garden! We all can emit this kind of love and beauty and wouldn't it be wonderful if everyone knew this! It is my passion to show others tools to tap into their own greatness. This is such a beautiful time of awareness! So grateful for your comment. <3
I love your poem and the whole idea of plucking away what no longer serves you – “deadheading so new growth can continue”. That sounds like a very healthy addiction. I too love petunias.
Hi Tamuria, Thanks so much for your sweet comment and I am so happy my poem resonated. And YEA a fellow petunia lover!! <3 We always have to be aware and deadheading in our lives. We are always changing and that constant awareness and reassessment is necessary to get where we want to be. As long as we do this kindly and not judging ourselves it goes much better! Thanks again - so grateful you stopped by and commented! Sending Love, <3
I admit that I am a dead leaf plucker, Jenny, so I can relate to this post! It is very challenging for me to see a dead leaf on a plant and not gently remove it. Regardless of where I am. I come from a long line of green thumbs in my mother’s family, and I find gardening and tending to flowers, very therapeutic and life affirming. I love how you see dead-heading, as plucking away what no longer serves us. Lovely!
Hi Beverley, Oh we have that in common for sure. I was at a relatives house and couldn’t sleep and went to all their plants and plucked for hours. I sometimes wonder if it is overstepping boundaries when it is someone else’s plants. 😉 We need to get rid of that old stagnant energy to allow new growth and petunias are so perfect to see that almost in real time. It always amazes me how quickly new flowers spring to life and how the plant can literally look reborn every day. They are a very good example for me!! Thank you so much for reading and commenting. Sending much Love, xo