"Prune-Ella"

OK, so I'm a day late and this week a dollar short.  But alas, sing it Gloria:  "I Will Survive!!!"

Seasons have taught me so much in life.  The seemingly obvious things of New Birth in Spring, Flourishing Life in Summer, Changes in Autumn and Death or Hibernation in Winter.  So many different analogies can be attributed to the seasons, Seasons Come And Seasons Go, and the World turns, alot and then we've aged.  Ok fine, I do age.  Just, subtlely. 

In so many ways Winter has become a favorite season of mine.  It was Autumn in all of it's Splendor and colorful majesty, but in the last few years Winter is making a charge to be at the forefront of my favorites.  On a rare occassion, it's the lonely solitude of Winter that so appeals to me.  Mostly, however, it's the peaceful tranquility of stillness and near nothingness that excites me.  But that stillness and 'seeming' nothingness, will soon regenerate and 'spring' forth with new growth and rebirth.

But then the subject is Pruning.  Gardeners (Gardners if you're part of Mama's family) and Landscapers and Horticulturalists use the Winter time to Prune away those branches and stems and twigs that are dead or blocking progress in anticipation of what is to come.  I am not a person who makes alot of New Year's Resolutions, I am the person who uses that Winter time to prune away the dead or dying things or to move the roadblocks to my success and happiness.

While Winter time comes from Dec to March in the northern hemisphere, it can come anytime I need to prune.  I have several goals in this pruning process.  One and the most obvious is to rid myself of the things that block my anticipated new growth.  I want the dead leaves and branches to be cleaned away so the new growth will have room to take root and to sprout.  My other goal is gracefulness.  My object is not to tear away the dead, not to angrily chop or lob off the offensive, but to wait in quiet consolation and to contemplate what needs to be Pruned.  And then to remove it, bless it for its part in past usefulness and to be content with my choices.

All week I have thought of the title of a book "The Path Of Least Resistance."  I googled it and found it's written by Robert Fritz.  While I've never read the book, it's title has been stuck in my consciousness all week.  I will wager that I've read it by Christmas.  Obviously if I think of it repeatedly, it has something to say to me. 

But make no doubt about it, it is Pruning Time for Dannyboy and it will get done.  Winter is Today and each day I need to effect a Positive Change for myself.

Now where are those darned shears???