My boxwood hedges were out of control. They form a barrier between my house and the busy street, so I like to grow them tall for a bit of privacy. But I knew they were out of control when they reached 7 feet tall and grabbed at my arm every time I walked out the front door. We dug out the old trusty loppers and a rake and started working on them. Soon the whole family was involved, because this was not just a haircut, a little off the top. No, this was a true pruning, the kind that takes all day and leaves you scratched and wild-haired. In the process, we removed 6 garbage bags stuffed full of leaves, branches, spiderwebs, windblown debris, a Halloween decoration from last year and, somehow, an entire weedwhacker head.
This time of global upheaval touches everything in our lives. For me, it’s been an invitation to explore all the things I never used to allow myself time for, and the first thing I reached for when quarantined was the shovel. My garden feeds my soul and gives my days structure. I can’t not get out of bed today, my plants need me! But also, it’s an investment not just in how my home looks, but how it feels, and by extension, how my whole family feels. I am now addicted to this cycle: get a plant (okay, maybe lots of plants) that make my eyes light up. Then agonize over their placement, hand-mix a special soil, second-guess and fret over their ideal environment for growth, inspect for pests, pluck weeds, speak to and guard and water daily. Planting, waiting, nourishing, watching, dreaming, hoping, harvesting, saving the seeds, and replanting. Every day I have a reminder: life continues. The sun rises and sets.
Pruning is an essential part of gardening, too. The day to day things are our annuals, they come and go with the seasons and remind us to enjoy the moment. But the perennials, the big hedges, the long-term members of your life’s garden, won’t grow correctly without some periodic guidance. They may get leggy, and drain all their energy in long branches reaching farther and farther to get to the sun. They get stuck in their old ways, just like we do.
Maybe it’s time to prune your life’s hedges. Sure, they are protecting you, decorating the front of you to present a nice appearance to the outside world. But what is hiding in there? What dead branches are sucking the life from your soul, stealing energy from the good green leaves reaching for the sun? What old bad ideas are you clinging to? Are they gathering bits of dead inspiration and disappointment and forming into a big trashy heap, hidden under all your good intentions?
Sharpen up your good loppers, put on some long sleeves and start cutting. Remember, if your tool is dull, you’re going to do more damage than good. You might think, that branch might still be good, it has one green leaf on it, maybe I shouldn’t get rid of it. Oh, this one will leave a hole if I remove it. That becomes overwhelming quickly. Cut that shit out, literally. Be merciless with the old dead growth. Invest in some big garbage bags. You might be frightened of what you find hiding under there, but your life will feel lighter, freer, airier and ready to grow in new directions. Just like my bushes.