I get a little obsessed with plants. I think it is my nurturing personality, I want to save every plant in my yard and nurse it back to life.
Michael and I are scaling back our landscaping. Actually it was never really landscaping but a mishmosh of plants I had stuck in the ground here and there.
My “let’s wing it” approach just hasn’t worked out so well. I just dive in and start digging, similar to how I write, actually. I just have to start with a word or a sentence. Any sentence.
It could be one about cooking eggs and bacon or about how every pair of shoes I own now seems too small. Did my feet really grow after turning 30? But just getting started gets me started. You get the point.
Anyway…
I dig a hole. I plant a plant. I just get it done. I get it in the ground. I have ideas, lots of them. They just keep coming. It is getting the ideas planned out that is the struggle.
This is where Michael comes in. He takes the idea and, like a sculpter, makes something out of it. Both are important, but one needs the other. The idea needs the plan, the plan needs the idea.
Michael and I sat down together and made a plan. We took the ideas and drew pictures. We saw what it looked like on paper and then put the plans into action.
I learned a couple things from doing this together:
1. Having a plan and seeing it through is much more satisfying than no plan and scattered ideas. A scattered idea is just like a random tree, it does’t really make sense. But when you take the ideas and create an action plan, you can create a beautiful landscape.
2. Our weaknesses can be complimented by others’ strengths, if we let them. I can choose to let someone else help me in my weaker areas, but I have to ask for and allow someone to help me. This often takes courage.
We planted a flowering pear tree and a red honeysuckle vine. They are beautiful in their location. The plan was a success.
Question: Who helps you bring your ideas to life?
Claudia,
My husband and I both like having a nice yard and we have totally transformed our yard since we moved in this house. William is probably more like you in that he knows what things he likes, but I am the one that will get out pen and paper and draw a plan before I start working so I know where everything should go. We definitely complement each other in the yard and in many other ways too. He’s the best husband ever!
Have a Victorious Day!
Marianne Clements
Victory Christian Coaching
I would love to see your yard Marianne! It sounds like you have found a wonderful balance both in yard work and in life 🙂
Many blessings as you continue to complement one another!
Claudia I love that sentence: “The idea needs the plan, the plan needs the idea.” I have a million ideas swirling around and many times no time to even organize them into a plan. But we all get the same 24 hours so I really can’t lean on that excuse 🙂 I have to say I have found a huge amount of encouragement and help in getting my ideas formulated into plans first from my 2 sons who are always giving me suggestions (they’re so smart!) and also from my friends on 48 Days. We do all need one another – no one has all the gifts and talents – we each complement each other – just exactly like in a marriage!
haaha I can relate to you Ann! If I wrote down all my ideas, I bet I would have pages everyday! I am known to tuck a journal into my bags wherever I go… just in case 🙂
I love that your sons are so supportive! That is a huge blessing. Do you see them often?
We have also found great support on 48days. What a wonderful, supportive place to get feedback and encouragement!
Nice Claudia. Love the analogy!
Thanks so much Kent! Ya plants and me go way back 🙂
Oh, I love this! having a plan makes ALL the difference.
It truly does Char!
Claudia, we are kindred spirits. Doing things just to do them is always a mistake. When we combine that drive with a well thoughout action plan we become dangerous. Thanks for crafting this message in you uniquely positive arrangement. Blessings, @missioncoach
That is funny Rob!!
“When we combine that drive with a well though out action plan we become dangerous”… I like this, thanks for the inspiration!
My wife and I bounce ideas off each other all the time. The ideas we put a timeline to will get done, the ones that were just good ideas with no plan just stay an idea. It’s good to know the two go together, so you’re not beating yourself up, thinking “why haven’t we followed through on that great idea we had?” – Duh. Maybe it just wasn’t the most important idea at the time. We can’t do everything.
Michael,
That sounds like a cool idea. Do you have a timeline up on your wall somewhere?
We have a big monthly calendar and we just put a “due” date on it. We’re always flipping back and forward on the calendar since we tend to have lots of things on it (appointments, events, etc), so we are always seeing things that need to be done.
woops, double posted… Sorry about that…
only one post allowed Rob! 😉
When we moved in our house a decade ago it was brand new, and they gave us a desert backyard, but put Bermuda in the front with some bushes, birches, crape myrtles, etc, but decided to give us a big ‘ol backyard of dirt with straw… I went for years of just planting what I could, and now we have some beautiful trees back there, but if I were to do it again, I would have had a plan… It makes it come out with greater feeling of accomplishment… And BTW, congrats on your new additions! 🙂
Haha! Thanks Rob… they are doing well in their new homes 🙂
Yea, Michael has a great eye for that stuff… if it was just me there would be a whole yard full of half dead plants that I am trying to save!
Did your grass grow in quickly in your dirt and straw yard?
Now, the grass is a fun story… What I did was start plugging Bermuda pieces all over the place, and it took off pretty well… Also, the neighborhood was still being built, so there were dumpsters full of sod that I would go jump in them and start loading up! I had no shame , haha… Oh and then there was the Landscape workers out there sodding… I showed up with a case of beer one time, and made the best friends ever! They loaded us up with sod every time they had extra to throw away… Bargaining power! =)
Now that’s inovation and thinking outside the box, Rob. Love it!
Yeah, that was fun… 🙂 Sometimes you gotta improvise, adapt, and overcome…
hahahahahahahaaa I am dying laughing over here!!!! So you went dumpster diving for your sod huh!? Was it in broad daylight or were you hidden by darkness?
If you had a video we could feature you for our next IDC!
Oh and the beer for sod trade was genius!
Oh it was broad daylight, but we were the first house up on that street, so I had a little bit of cover! 🙂
But you know, they were throwing it away anyway, and it beat buying a whole truck load of sod “at the time”…
Now-a-days, I would just buy the truck load… I did discover that plugging takes a while, and it’s not as neat 😉
Still chuckling at this story 🙂
[…] Your Mind by Michael Good Posted on March 27, 2012 I looked out my window this morning and my newly planted tree was wilting! “Did I forget to water it?” I wondered to […]