A Mimosa is attacking my screened-in porch. This tree wasn’t there a few years ago. Well, he wasn’t so big, anyway. He’s gone from wee sprout to full-blown tree in a most annoying way.
I saw the intruder with fresh eyes the other day as I tried to look past it to my backyard.
Eliminating this blasted trespasser would have been much easier before he took over my view, but the truth is I underestimated it. Back then, it just looked like a silly weed not a deep-rooted obstruction. I chose to dismiss the problem and not give it much thought.
As the years have gone by, things have gotten worse, and I have moved from dismissing the growing nuisance to flat-out ignoring it. Of course tactics like moving my chair and pretending like it wasn’t going to get any bigger have worked for a while, but some things can grow too large to be overlooked. (Literally, it’s almost up to the roof now.) So I stopped ignoring and started acting.
By action, I mean blamed my husband. He’s the one who does most of our yard stuff. This was really his problem to handle.
Tall, proud, and now requiring a chain saw, the tree hasn’t budged. It stands there mocking me and stressing out my busy soul mate.
The parallel to life here has not escaped me. Lots of things can start out looking fairly innocent, but then the more we let them go, the more damage they can cause.
Just about any issue from a major assignment to a significant other’s negativity has the potential to grow into something destructive if we underestimate, ignore, and do nothing.
On a personal plane, I tend to do all three of these things in my relationships. I dismiss hurtful words as not being a big deal. I ignore friction, so as not to be seen as selfish and dramatic, and I wait on the other person to come to me and make things right.
So far that’s not really worked for me.
When I let things go, they fester making me bitter and untrusting. To ignore the issue does nothing but enforce some unspoken sickness of thought that tells me I’m not worth the fight. And waiting for someone else does nothing to help me take charge of my own emotional health.
Letting things go relationally can lead to an emotional chainsaw permanently severing relationships and causing a lot of pain.
Letting things go academically, can find you unable to finish a project and forfeiting the grade you could have gotten.
Letting things go with your dreams, can find you 80 years old, bitter, and wondering where all the time has gone.
Here’s a call to action, folks. No more letting things go.
It’s time to yank the bad stuff up by the roots and find freedom in the truth.
So long Mimosa, hello view from the top.
Is there something you need to deal with that you’ve been avoiding?
I really like this post, Mary Beth. You seem to have a real knack for writing about (or posting a song about) whatever I need to hear at that particular time. One line in particular stood out: “To ignore the issue does nothing but enforce some unspoken sickness of thought that tells me I’m not worth the fight. And waiting for someone else does nothing to help me take charge of my own emotional health.” Great words!
And David, you have a wonderful way of commenting on the very day I think no one’s even reading. Thank you for taking the time to let me know what you think! See ya soon!