June 29th, 2026

Pruning Back, Plowing Ahead

“My soul is a broken field, plowed by pain.”

Sara Teasdale (American Poet; August 8th, 1884 to January 29th, 1933)

“Suddenly, inexplicably, life accidents strike without warning.”

“If life accidents of this kind seem particularly cruel, it’s because they are–prima facie evidence of fate’s maliciousness. More often than any of us would like to admit, life has a way of hitting us where it hurts most.”

“‘To paraphrase John Lennon,’ says Sheehy, ‘life’s accidents are what happen to us while we are making ither plans.'”

“Unfortunately, Sheehy discovered in the course of writing her books, ‘Most people do not negotiate either predictable passages, especially the later ones, or life’s accidents successfully.’ However, those individuals who will themselves to benefit from adversity becomes what Sheehy calls ‘pathfinders’: real-life champions who, ‘by refusing to go under in the onslaught of a life accident,’ emerge victorious.”

“Life accidents prune us back. Our souls become broken fields, plowed by pain.”

“Plants know you are there, and when you approach them knife in hand, they utter tiny shrieks; on the other hand, if you talk to them kindly or pray over them, they reward you with better than average growth.”

Eleanor Perenyi (Gardener & Author; January 4th, 1918 to May 3rd, 2009)

“Pain prunes the unessential emotions, ambitions, and illusions, teaching us the lessons we either consciously or unconsciously refuse to be taught by joy. Pain prunes the insignificant details that distracts us from what is really important, sapping our days, energies, and spirits.”

“Male no mistake, I think pain is a wretched gardener. Her cuts stun and sting, But after pruning, preferably voluntary, we’re able to discern what’s real, what important, and what’s essential for our happiness.”

“Be of good cheer. Study your plants and study your lifestyle. When the right time arrives, go into the garden with sharp shears. Speak kindly. Pray softly. Prune back. Now plow ahead.”

“My pruning recently occurred with my atraumatic splenic event in early June. To take inventory and cut back anything that was not serving me in the new spring. We all have 100% of our lives left and as such to continue to bloom and grow a bit of pruning can give space to fill in with new foliage in ways I never expected. The act of discarding the old and inviting in the new possibilities is the growth of one’s flowering.”

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–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 229 to 232 of 501.

I challenge each of you on this blog series to post comments so we all can grow together.