Keep the Good Bits

Not everything that grew gets replanted.

My garden is wild, but it still produces fruit and vegetables. Apparently something around here knows what it's doing.

The year has been much the same. Some things needed tending. Others surprised me.

Writing became fun. I scheduled sitting down once a week. Enjoyment showed up in its own time. What began as journaling became something I look forward to, with a few loyal readers joining me along the way.

I can now say I'm a writer without looking at my toes.

Then I tried learning Spanish through Portuguese. One unfamiliar language wasn't quite enough. I would like another, please, delivered through the first.

Somehow, my Portuguese improved too. I went looking for one language and came back with improvements to two. A very satisfying arrangement.

I'd like another season of these things. I don't necessarily want a larger helping.

To decide where my attention goes, I use containers: a few broad areas of life I want to keep tending.

Mine are relationships, athletics, and business. Yours might include home, health, creativity, or community. Choose the few that matter most to you this season.

Each container can hold several activities. It gives them somewhere to belong, and gives your attention somewhere to return.

Then choose a small way to tend each one. A lesson. An unhurried conversation. A focused piece of work. With fewer containers competing for attention, those small efforts have a chance to accumulate.

This is where the harvest helps. Within each container, keep what still belongs.

Change what could work better. Compost what has already taught you its lesson.

Something can have been worth trying without becoming a permanent appointment. Something with modest results can stay simply because you enjoy it.

This week, name your containers. Choose one good thing to carry forward in each, and one small way to give it regular attention.

The house still has rough edges. The garden remains wild. There is plenty left to do, but I already enjoy living here.

I'd like to keep that part, too.