Got bindweed? You have seen bindweed. You might know it well because you keep pulling it out of your flower and vegetable beds. Objectively the flowers are quite pretty and delicate, soft whites and pinks and a close relative to Morning Glories. Who doesn't love Morning Glories?
Bindweed is known for its tenacious survival, its deep roots spread into systems which makes it virtually impossible to destroy. From an evolutionary perspective, this is a survivor plant and in that sense, admirable.The problem with bindweed is that it is noxious and it takes over. The plant crowds out other cultures and displaces native plants.
We all have habits and thought patterns that act like bindweed: pervasive, sometimes enjoyable and even helpful but generally hijacks the essence of what we are truly capable of. These are habits we take for granted and hardly notice or when we do and aim to eliminate, they just come back.
Like bindweed, becoming aware of how our habits are rooted within the person that we are and using thoughtful approaches to change the systems at work, is how we change our patterns. Ripping the plant out only changes the surface with no or little effect on what is below. Changing a habit without understanding how it keeps rearing its head amounts to the same thing.
Living with healthy habits is synonymous to cultivating new internal ecosystems that thrive with native plants and are in balance with each other. The internal gardens is of your own design--plentiful, rich, surprising, creative. Most beautiful ecosystems form with the help of nutrients, gentle and loving influences.
Who is to say you should cultivate alone?
I leave you with the following question: What is your bindweed?
Reach out and safe journeys, Allyson