Day 125

As I sat at my desk this evening, pondering my day and how to add to my blog, I happened to look out the window in front of me. What I saw made me stop and ponder some more.

A few years ago I planted an oak leaf hydrangea in front of the window. It has done very well there, and grown quite a bit over the years. What you see is a prominent branch that is directly in my eyesight when I look out. What I noticed about this branch in particular is that it has some beautiful new leaves growing on it (yeah Spring!),  while at the same time is still holding on to some of  last years's leaves.

What a statement. How many of us hold on to the past, even as we try to move toward the future? I know I am guilty of this at times. Even when the past is dead and should be buried, we cling to last bits and pieces. Sometimes it's holding on to a piece of clothing or kick-knack from a past relationship. Maybe it's a pair of scrubs from a once-loved hospital you worked in. Maybe it's a wedding ring, or even a dog collar.

That doesn't mean we shouldn't forget the past- the good times, the bad times, and things we have learned. I have pictures of my hydrangea in full blood last year, beautiful and full. I want to always remember my first true dog, the basset hound "Flash", and The Dayton Heart Hospital, where I worked with amazing people and first truly learned what caring for people and being a nurse means.

But I don't want to cling to them in a way that actually detracts from the beauty each of those things possessed. I don't want to be sitting at the desk of life, minding my own business and suddenly have a dead leaf of the past block my vision. Moving on is part of life, and can bring even more beauty than the past if you let it. I love my Mastiff every bit as much as my basset hound. And I love the two jobs I have had since Dayton Heart closed it's doors. I have learned and grown and met people I never would have had the opportunity to do so had life not moved on.

So, I went outside and pulled the dead leaves off my hydrangea bush. And now, when I look outside my window, I only see the future, and the beauty it potentially holds.Do you have leaves to shed? I know I do, and I am thankful that my hydrangea bush helped me to see that.

Today's pic represents the circle of life, and how shedding, but not forgetting, the past can help make way for a fresh, beautiful new start.