Thursday, May 22, 2014

What Are You Waiting For?


Have you ever had a dream to do something, a dream so intense that it has had an unrelenting hold on you? But then, when you try to realize that dream, there seem to be forces coming from all sides intent on stopping that dream from coming to fruition?

Maybe it was a naysayer who had you believing that you couldn't do it. Or someone telling you it was against the rules.

Maybe it was a nonsayer, someone who was quietly apathetic when you needed them to be openly supportive.

Or maybe it was the elements and/or the actions/inactions of others that you were necessarily dependent upon in order to realize your dream.

I'll go out on a limb here. I think most of us feel compelled in some way, only to find challenges that halt our progress. But are those challenges actually haling our progress? Or are we allowing those challenges to halt our progress?

It's easy to blame outside forces or others when things don't go our way. And I'm no different than most of you. I too find myself slipping on occasion, believing the thoughts that prevent me from realizing my dream(s).

Our house has been on the market for quite some time. Much much longer that I ever anticipated. Almost 2 years before we took it off the market to update our kitchen last summer. Now approaching another 6 months with a top agent in our community.

Given that we live in a strata complex that caters to an older demographic, the multi-split-level of our main living space that was so popular in the late 80's, early 90's is now proving detrimental to its sale. People in their 60's don't want to contend with so many stairs, no matter how many times they're told how physically beneficial they are to them.

Originally, we were selling in order to move to the eastern part of Canada for my business. But when it took longer than 6 months to sell the house, those business opportunities dried up. But we decided to keep it on the market because the more I thought about it, the more compelled I was to own a home where I could plant a garden.

The first summer on the market came and went. Then the second. I blamed not being able to have a garden on the fact that our home wasn't selling. And on the rules of living in a strata complex.

But then I started thinking a little differently. Instead of focusing on what I couldn't have or wasn't allowed to do, I began to focus on what I could do.

We have a fairly large patio just off our family room. A patio that is completely closed in. What would stop me from building some planters and planting a garden there?

So that's what I did. Last year, I built 8 cedar planters that are approximately 4' long by 1.5' wide by about 16" deep. I was successful at growing some things, not so successful at others. A lack of bees stopped the beans and zucchini from developing, but I had great success with peppers, Swiss chard, baby bok choi and radishes. The main drawback was being a slave to the watering process.

This year, in spite of the fact that our house is still on the market, I decided that I would install an irrigation system that would automatically give the vegies the drinks they so desperately need.

No matter the weather. No matter the sale or non-sale of our home. No matter the forces, including the disapproving eye of the neighbour immediately west of us, I refuse to allow those forces to interfere with my dream of gardening. In other words, screw it, I'm gardening.

We can choose to wait for the perfect circumstances to happen and give away our power. Or we can choose to work within the system and take that power to an unexpected place. Either way, we get to choose.

So what are you waiting for?

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2 comments:

  1. Just goes to prove there is always a way to get things done. Not only that you get to grow non GMO vegies.

    ReplyDelete

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