“The course of human life is like that of a great river which, by the force of its own swiftness, takes quite new and unforeseen channels where before there was no current – such varied currents and unpremeditated changes are part of God’s purpose for our lives.” – Rabindranath Tagore

When I lived in Nova Scotia and in Maine, I spent my summers planting and mulching and weeding and harvesting and canning every vegetable that had any chance of growing in those climates. It was a tremendous amount of work, but I loved the feel and smell of the soil and I loved nurturing the plants.

So you can imagine my horror when I started having The Neglected Garden Dreams. I would be going about my business and all of a sudden I’d remember that I hadn’t checked on the garden in a very long time. I would rush outdoors to find weeds strangling the plants and overgrown vines heavy with summer squash, beans and peas long past their prime. The garden in my dreams was so huge and the work required to bring it back was so overwhelming that despite profound feelings of loss and despair, I just gave up and walked away. It was too late.

After experiencing this dream over a period of years, it finally occurred to me that I was neglecting something in myself. But what? Looking back, I see now that I had lost my way. I was moving through life unconsciously, going from job to job searching for my true purpose. Since then, I’ve come to understand the value of the lessons inherent in every challenge and every relationship I encountered along the way. And I’ve come to believe that it’s never too late.