Holistic Glow-Up Part 3 – Tending Your Garden.
We started the holistic glow up process by looking within ourselves, finding our passions and truths and then showing gratitude for all those blessings. It is now time to look without. It is time to be selfless and guide our energy into making a difference. It doesn’t matter how small the gesture may seem; we all know the truism “mighty oaks from little acorns grow” and sometimes it’s the smallest things that make the biggest difference.
We are all moved by different things, some of them may be concerns for friends, family and neighbours who are having to self-isolate at the moment due to their age or health conditions. They may be vulnerable, frightened and feel alone with worries both practical and emotional. A small gift would make a huge difference to that person’s health and wellbeing, the gift of time – something some of us have an abundance of right now, through our own isolation.
There are safe and powerful ways you can help lift that gloom, a chat across the street or on the phone, picking up groceries, helping with minor tasks. Making a difference doesn’t have to be a macro deal. Micro is good too.
Many of us are living in a lockdown bubble which has, in the main resulted in greater kindness and compassion towards people. I do hear neighbours shout across hedges to one another, offer to pick up shopping; and all those good things I mentioned earlier are easy, and come about easily enough.
Every week a large number of us stand at our windows and doors to clap and show support for our hardworking NHS staff, and YES it is a beautiful way to show appreciation for all those hard working people, and gives us a sense of community, and shared appreciation. It makes us feel good too. But it shouldn’t end there. It is as important to be aware of their needs, the challenges they and other key workers face right now, and – most importantly – are they being met. Just as you would ask a neighbour how they’re doing and what they might need.
Bringing about positive change is easy, just like shouting ‘hello’ over the fence. Once you understand the issues, the concerns, you can take to social media to raise their profile, sign and share a petition, write to your MP. Every small action grows into a bigger one. Our healthcare and other key workers need our appreciation more than ever, they also need our informed support.
Tending your garden, metaphorically speaking is about giving your energy and care to something outside of yourself so that it can flourish. It is about freely giving care and energy to wider societal and environmental issues at a local and global level. Take a positive stance and be proactive, help the vulnerable in your area, support the work of charities by getting involved or donating, fight animal cruelty, buy sustainable and organic – there are so many ways to make a difference. I believe all of us doing the small things, adding our voice to a chorus is more effective than a few going all out. Tending your garden is a life long pursuit that should continue long after the current crisis is resolved. Give of yourself in a sustained act of care, attention and devotion to the world beyond you.
Above all, be kind.