Bending over I snip off another flower head and drop it into the bucket.  Brown decaying and lifeless, these are destined for the compost pile not a vase on my dining table.  

Deadheading is to remove dead flower heads to encourage further blooming

For days, to be honest weeks, I’ve ignored the once vibrant pink geraniums planted so carefully in the end of May.  When new they were glorious and filled me with joy each time I returned home from a walk or looked out the front window to see the world beyond.  Eventually though the early blooms died, their vibrant pink turning a muddy brown.  One or two dead blooms were not very noticeable, but as the days turned to weeks it seemed that there were as many dead blooms as living ones.  

Passing them each day as I returned from my walk it seemed a bit of the decay rubbed off onto my spirit, dulling it with a swipe of brown paint.  Truth is I have been in a low place for weeks now. The stress of Covid quarantine, the emotional journey of emptying and selling my parent’s home of 35 years, my ongoing struggle with drinking all have combined to weigh me down. Seeing the decay in my garden just added to my sadness.

Returning from my walk this morning, with the voices of several sober friends in my head, the sight of the decomposing garden made me pause.  Do something positive for yourself, they said.  

With that thought ringing in my mind, I did not allow the brown tinged paintbrush to touch me as I walked past.  Instead, I grabbed a bucket and a pair of sheers and got to work removing the death and decay, revealing the vibrant beauty it overshadowed.

Snip. Snip. Snip.  

Each time I dropped a spent flower into the bucket I felt a little lift to my spirit.  

Standing back I was amazed at what a difference I had made.  With the decay gone, I could see the beauty hidden in plain sight.  I had not added blooms, but with the rotten ones gone, the hidden beauty became visible. 

One snip at a time I’ll do the same inside my heart and my head. Remove the decay so the beauty can shine through.

In case you are wondering – here’s the before.