« A word from a gardening expert | Main | The well by the road »
May 26, 2010
The parable of the washing line.
Now, talking of gardening, the recent good weather has tempted me into the wilderness that is my garden. I use the term garden loosely, as postage stamp may be more appropriate.
Actually there is no room to swing a cat, but the previous owners thought there was enough room to swing a rotary washing line and cemented one right in the middle.
I'm not ungrateful as when my children were younger and the washing was a plenty, it came into its own.
It also did a very good side line as a climbing frame and roundabout as my then 2 year old, used to shimmy up the pole and work her way along the bars and her 6 year old sister used to swing her round. Unfortunatly I had to put a stop to this ingenious game as I had visions of the younger one letting go and disappearing over the fence.
Any way back to now, over the last few years I have been wanting to say goodbye to this eyesore, It was once helpful but I now no longer need it, however the cement has been proving a problem, I tried rocking it lose but it was rock solid. So last Sunday with the help of my daughter's boyfriend, we dug around it, we dug down further and further and further, until finally like a grand old oak it toppled.
As it lay flat in the garden, I took a moment to remember and give thanks for all it has known, It's structure being useful for so many things, shade for babies playing, hidey camps for children, hanging up toys for kittens, so many beautiful spider webs and of course drying the washing.
I said my goodbyes, well I thought I said my goodbyes, however due to the large amount of cement used to keep it in place, we were unable to lift it and it is still lying across my small garden.
I've taken advice and I need to buy a big hammer and break up the cement, before I can move it out.
This made me think of the times in my life, when I've known that it was time to let go of something, to say goodbye, to move on. In my experience, this has rarely been an easy process and each time I've had to break things down and deal with small pieces at a time, mourn what was but isn't now, or acknowledge that structures and ways of being that once helped are now constricting and suffocating. This journey has often been difficult, scary and painful, but by accepting and then dealing with what I could manage, little by little, I eventually found a way to move on. I've found that the light and happiness, that is always at the end of what often seems like difficult work, has always been worthwhile.
For me, this has just become 'The parable of the washing line'
Posted by Shelliz at May 26, 2010 10:14 AM