So…here’s the thing.
I like gardening. Or rather, I like the IDEA of gardening. And when I say gardening, I actually mean flowers, not vegetables (although I like those too). I’m the person who dreams of having overflowing gardens.
Dreams.
In reality….well, let’s just say that when I tell Hubs I’m buying flowers, he responds with “oh, let the plants live, Susie! Let someone else buy them.”
Nope. THIS year will be different.
 |
Oops. These were the weeds I came home to after my trip to Portugal.
(Those are poor little lilac trees!)
(In my defense, I was gone for three weeks.)
This past weekend I hunkered down and weeded my entire garden (around the whole house). I hurt everywhere. But, I learned some stuff.
1. Scary weeds have shallow roots. I attacked these weeds garbed with long sleeves and fortified gloves. They looked scary…but that’s all. No fight. No deep roots to destroy my lilacs. And I realized…scary weeds have no power. They’re just scary on the outside.
2. An abundance of weeds aren’t scary—they’re just pesky. I weeded this side garden, with two verbena trees. Sooooo many little weeds, shallow roots, impossible to get them all. I got most of them, and will round back with some weed killer. (My eyes are on you, little weeds!)
 |
3. Weeding is painful. But the flowers are worth it. I mentioned that everything hurts, right? Look, I have hamstrings! Who knew? But I love seeing my sweet hydrangeas unearthed from the weedy rubble. And now, with light, they might liiiiiive! (So take that, unbelieving Hubby!)
 |
And here’s what I learned. Weeds (lies, bad habits, conflict) are those things that choke out the flowers in your life (like relationships, goals, even your well-being).
Scary weeds are just scary on the outside. But they have no roots. They don’t have to destroy your life. Take that hard conversation you need to have with a friend, or the call you have to make to your mother-in-law to tell her to stop feeding your child sugar. Or even the conversation with yourself about spending habits. Maybe it’s a change of lifestyle. Maybe it’s a secret you need to stop keeping. Whatever that scary thing is—put on some gloves and just dive in. (Although you might want to practice a hard conversation in the mirror first!)
Little weeds can take over your life. Little weeds like bad habits, or small things you allow into your life. Like raising your voice to a loved one. Or spending just a little too much on wine (what? No. Neveh!) or even, and I know this sounds crazy…not making your bed. (Okay, I’m kidding, but you have heard about that Navy SEAL book that says if you make your bed every morning, you’ve already started your day with a win! Bam!) So…every once in a while, look at the little weeds and tear out as many as you can.
Getting rid of weeds helps let the sunshine in. And sunshine is life. Sunshine is peace, it’s growth, it’s strength…it’s well-being.
Speaking of well-being, I’m super grateful for all the beautiful reviews for One Last Promise! If you haven’t yet read Tillie’s story about her own attempt to purge a scary weed from her life (and how she turns to amazing Moose Mulligan for help), the book is available now from all retailers!
 |
And even more exciting…the AUDIOBOOK is now available as well! To celebrate, I’m doing a little audiobook bundle sale in the Susan May Warren store—buy One Last Promise and get books 1 and 2 half off!
 |
The discount will be automatically applied at checkout when all three items are added to your cart!
Thank you for reading my Weed Missive today. Now that the Olympics are over, it’s back to real life. 
I’m working on a fun project for another epic series next summer!
Have a great week,
 |
P.S. Oh, if you are following the hottest series of the summer, Chasing Fire: Montana (see what I did there?) then you’ll want to pick up Fireline by Kate Angelo! The ebook is out now in the Sunrise Shop, and the official release is next Tuesday, August 20!
 |