Need A Trim?

Need A Trim? 

By John R. Greenwood

-to free of excess or extraneous matter by or as by cutting.

As I was trimming 'Little Walter' (yes we name our shrubs) it occurred to me the sense of renewal a little trim above the ears can give us. We clutter up and start to overgrow our planters. Our roots get all bunched and it becomes difficult to absorb nourishment. You can sprinkle and spread expensive fertilizers on us and for a few weeks we will bloom all bright and glorious but then we lose track. That fertilizer-high wears off and we start tripping over our feet. A good thorough trim is called for. You have to squat down low and start at the bottom, clipping the little runners near the ground. Then you slowly follow the sturdy branches out, snipping the ragged and bitchy. You open up and let the sun flow. It begins to beam in and warm the heart of our story.

Once we clean up the debris and shake out the nonsense, breathing seems less labored. The air blows our hair back and lifts the chin ever so slight. A weight now lifted- our stance tall and true, we look pessimism square in eye and smile...