Here we go … with more gardening metaphors for life. Lets face it, you can’t keep a grateful gardener down 🙂
As I watered my pots yesterday I realized that we take the blooms for granted and sometimes forget that its important to pay attention and water those roots. Plants need their roots watered so they can be their best. The strongest trees and the best flowers come from the strongest roots.
Just like our plants, we have needs that have to to be taken care of first if we are to grow strong and be our best selves.
Once our basic survival needs* are met, we have higher needs that are important for us to grow into being our best. These needs can take the shape of feeling loved in our closest relationships. Being counted on by our dearest ones. Being respected by colleagues. Being recognized at work. Being encouraged by friends. Belonging to a great community. Being free to make our own choices. Making time for rest and relaxation. Being able to express our thoughts and share our talents.
We rarely stop and look at our needs. There is a bit of a stigma there. After all … we don’t want to be seen as needy … right?
We may also judge others who are needy. Which often reflects on how out of touch we are with our own needs….
It can be a touchy subject, as acknowledging our needs makes us feel vulnerable.
But needs are at our very roots. From the basic needs to survive with food and water, to feeling loved, to expressing our authentic voice in the world. We all have needs. They are part of being human.
We need these roots watered in order to grow and bloom fully. When those roots aren’t being watered, we become driven by the needs that aren’t being met. Just like plants, we can become weak and over extended…. or invasive into others’ space to take what we need from them.
Needs are part of a human condition. When we get them met, we can embrace our humanity and be fully authentic in the world. We can relax and get on with living fully 🙂
So take a moment here and consider how you can water those roots of yours.
I’ll be exploring more about our needs and getting them met in future posts.
* Survival needs include air, water, food, shelter, sleep and security.
Find Your Middle Ground 
Thanks for such a great post Val. I needed this today.
I don’t use to judge anyone, but to feed ourselves, yes thank you for this reminder 😀
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Thank you Irene for sharing here. Nourishing ourselves as we do others is so important … and something we can easily forget.
Val x
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This should be an interesting series. Thanks, Val.
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Not sure if you mean the gardening analogies or the needs work … one would be easier than the other … yet both could fertilize new growth in the world 😉
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Love this, Val. Not too long in from watering the garden, especially the roses. The garden really brings one back to nature and fundamental needs, doesn’t it?
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Nature has needs just as we do. We tend our gardens … and yes we must tend ourselves too. Thank you Jean. I appreciate your comment.
Val x
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Good one Val. I look forward to subsequent posts. I, for one, feel weak when I admit I have needs.
Diana xo
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Diana, thank you for sharing here. It can be hard to face our needs.
Did you see Ann’s post today? Its a bit like pooping. Nothing to be ashamed off. Its part of the human condition 🙂
If we didn’t poop or get our needs met I think our world would indeed come to an end!
Val x
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I did see Ann’s post, I thanked her for not sharing a picture of poop! 😀
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I love how our needs actually pare down the more aware we become, but at the same time, we are much more able to honor Self.
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Thank you for this insightful thought ISWH. I’m discovering that our needs are connected to our higher Self, rather than being separate as our ego wants us to believe! More explorations to come 🙂
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One of the most challenging things I have done was to state to my beloved, without fear or shame interfering, “I have needs”. and then, to lovingly tell him what my needs are.
Having done it, I wonder what the fear is about — lol — as if I don’t know! 🙂 It is fear of being judged, of being seen as ‘needy’. Claiming my ‘neediness’ was a huge growth spurt for me. My roots literally jiggled with excitement. 🙂
Love what Willow Hill wrote too — so true!
Hugs Val. (This was perfect for me to read this morning)
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Thanks Louise! So good to hear from you 🙂
It does take courage doesn’t it!?! Its like we strip naked and pull out our heart for the other person to see. We are at our most vulnerable and we are so scared that they won’t like it…. and we will be rejected.
The wonderful thing is that it brings us closer to love and acceptance – in ourselves as well as others.
So glad it resonated this morning!
Hugs
Val xo
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So good, Val. Thank you! Gardening metaphors forever abound in my own mind…
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Glad you enjoyed the post Julie!
Val
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At a time of crisis needs come crashing down to the very basic level. You are so right that suddenly we become very ‘needy’.
I look forward to the erst of your posts on this topic.
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