(S picking spinach behind a wheelbarrow full of dirt)

Last week, I spent a lot of time clearing beds. I pulled up nearly all of our leafy greens. We still have some spinach producing, as well as some broccoli. I loosened the dirt, and we’ve been looking ahead to the next planting season.

We have a very important task in front of us. We need to prepare the ground for more plants. This involves moving the top layer of soil in each raised bed (as seen in the wheelbarrow) and hoeing the ground beneath it. We will also be shoveling manure and mixing it into the soil.
The whole process is very time consuming and labor-intensive. We spend hours working on it, and the hoop house looks the same at a glance. Because dirt is dirt and it’s not pretty. But it is needed. We are investing in the soil to make it easier for things to grow.

It’s a lot like when we decide to make changes in our lives. We have to make preparations.
We have to prepare the ground of our lives.

For instance, if you decide to go back to school, you can’t just walk into any class. First, you have to fill out an application. The school has to accept you.  You have to pay the school. You have to register for classes. You have to have the books. You have to have paper and pens to take notes. You have to select a major. It takes time. It takes a lot of unseen work before you say, “I’m going to class. I’m a college student.”

All of these changes begin with our thoughts, with decisions we make, with goals we set. We begin pulling up our old ideas and moving the dirt around, contemplating what we would like to grow next. When we decide what to plant, we have to learn about it. We have to prepare for it.

It takes time.
Everything looks the same.
But it isn’t.

Give yourself the grace to prepare the ground. It’s necessary.