If someone asks you what desserts you like the most, you can probably recite a list easily.  If someone asks you what you cherish in life the most, after a little thinking, you will list some items such as health, family, friends, money or work.  You may also list things that you love a great deal, but would hope to do more of, such as exercising, reading, laughing, writing, playing music, walking, etc.

In the context of Tending to Your Garden Within, we cherish cultivating our most desired types of flowers and fruit trees in our garden within.  It is very important that during the planting and growing seasons we remind ourselves many times of what we desire in our garden within, and perhaps ask ourselves if our efforts are toward those goals.

It is very important that we remind ourselves of what is important to us on a weekly or even daily basis.  It is easy to be on cruise control and spend all our energy unconsciously on things that we do not consider essential (not on the list that we most cherish in life).  It is important to keep our focus on the desserts in our life and not fill ourselves (expend our energy) on things that are not essential to our well being, growth and joy.  The poem below illustrates how we may focus on the desserts in our daily life.

Dessert

Have you observed someone at dinner

waiting to order their favorite dessert?

Perhaps yes.

They are careful and conscious how much they eat,

be it the best steak or a hamburger,

an exotic mushroom dish or a veggie burger.

Their attention is on the end goal.

To have enough space left in their tummies for what they love:

Dessert

What are other desserts in our lives?

Perhaps it is our mate, children, friends, family, pets,

or even self.

Are we careful and conscious enough with what we do

so we have time (space) for the desserts

in our life?

Do we dissipate all our energy at work

so that there is nothing left for

our mate and family in the evening?

Do we give away so much of our energy to others

that our bodies are depleted and empty of vibrant energy?

Do we give so much of our attention to distracting things

that we forget what is really important to us?

What desserts do we want to experience today?

Will you have enough appetite (energy and attention)

to do so?

Enjoy your dessert!

Copyright . 2010 by Shervin Hojat