The Roots

the phrase "digging deep" has been swirling around in my head the last few days. too bad i don't have some type of forum in which i can write it out...see if there's something to it. oh wait...nevermind. so here i sit, looking into the open heavens of my mind, focusing on that phrase, allowing it to come to the forefront...letting it settle. let's watch it land on the branch of truth and spread its wings. digging deep. the obvious meaning to me is when, for example, a runner is in the last quarter-mile of a long run. the only way to finish the run on an uptick would be by digging deep and finding that last bit of oopmh, to get that final kick into gear and finish the run with an unbroken stride, head held high.
thinking beyond that obvious example, my mind is playing with the idea of this phrase in a different way. i imagine my fears and insecurities as thick, old roots living well within the soil of my being. and with any growth that you wish to remove, in the hopes of planting new, beautiful hopes and ideas, it is absolutley necessary to clear whatever roots of previous growths still exist. it's not enough to grab hold of the stalks on the surface and simply pull them out. you really do have to dig deep and get under the gnarled things. only once you've dug as deeply as you can will you be able to tear those roots free and create the space necessary to start a new garden. some of the surrounding soil may need to be removed as well, replaced by the fresh, nourishing compost of friendship and trust. but it is the act of digging deep that gives you the best, first chance at removing that which is choking you. pretending the roots aren't there won't make them disappear. only active, earnest work will remove them, once and for all.
isn't it exciting to think about the garden that could await you once this is accomplished? there are no rules in this garden. plant what is beautiful. reap what is good. take care of these new budding plants and i guarantee they will give you a lifetime of fruit and oxygen. those old weeds of fear and insecurity were never going to give you anything anyway. they took up valuable time and space, and they really made your garden look sad and withered.
allow the new goodness to grow. then dig deep and embrace every minute.