Laurie Budlong-Morse
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chapters of change.

Dirt

5/22/2017

1 Comment

 
Therapist's Note: A common response I receive when I tell people what I do for a living is: "Oh gosh, isn't it awful listening to people's problems all day long?"  I always respond, "Actually, that's not at all what I do; I hear the most amazing things every day, I witness incredible resilience and growth, it's pretty awesome."  Yes, clients come to counseling having experienced messy, heart-breaking things in their lives.  But the mess ends up fertilizing some incredibly beautiful, tender blooms.   

Picture
The pungent aroma.
The sting of grit clinging to skin. 
The creepy, crawling things writhing and wrestling.  

I've been spending plenty of time in the garden recently: preparing the beds, planting the seeds.  In my interactions with the dirt, I found myself pondering the contradictions within it.  

On the one hand: discomfort and disgust; mess and chaos.  
On the other hand: soft, soothing warmth; a satisfying, soulful connection to life-giving, life-sustaining earth.  

There are moments in life like dirt.
When everything becomes pungent.
And the creepy, crawling things surface..
And the grit clings to every crevice of our wrinkled souls.

Our first instinct in these messy moments may to recoil in repulsion, eagerly searching for a clean sink to wash our hands of it all.  Yet...these are the rich, fertile moments that enable us to plant something new.  If we can allow hope to shelter us like a well-worn sunhat, if we can place trust as a cushion beneath our aching knees, we can stay there beside the soil, tending to what is to come.
  
If you find yourself in a dirt-like moment:
Keep digging.  
Let your hands turn the warm, damp earth.  
Wipe the sweat from your brow with your dusty forearm that feels like sandpaper.

Then...Soon...

You can sit back with a glass of cold lemonade--water beading on the smooth surface, ice chiming.  You can survey the work you have done with a sense of satisfaction.  You can take a long hot shower, sighing in relief as your skin feels new again, as the water eases your aching muscles.

Then...hope.
Trust...soon.

Just when you are starting to doubt (or perhaps just when you've forgotten to look for it), a tender green shoot will rise from the pungent, gritty, creepy-crawly, warm, soothing, life-giving dirt.  

And you will rise along with it.     


For further reflection: What is one thing that grew out of a dirt-like moment in your past?  If you were to imagine that one thing as a plant, tree, or flower, what would it look like?
1 Comment
Sara Heinick - Lachet
5/31/2017 11:56:29 am

This is so beautiful written.

Reply



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    About 

    Here you will find metaphors, images, reflections, and inspiration on the change process.  Psychotherapy  intersects with creativity, nature, and spirituality on these pages.  You can start anywhere you'd like.  You'll find a note on my thoughts as a therapist as well as a prompt for your own reflection at the beginning and end of each entry.   

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    I'm a licensed therapist in private practice in Indianapolis who provides counseling to individuals and couples, particularly around issues of anxiety, adjustment, and relationship wellness.  
    I love writing and prolifically journal my way through my own processes of change.  I started to feel selfish keeping these life-giving words to myself, so I decided it was time to adapt and expand my writing to share with others.

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laurie budlong-morse, LMFT
CANALSCAPE COUNSELING ASSOCIATES

​Counseling for Individuals  & Couples

LOCATION

815 E 63rd Place, Suite 204
​Indianapolis 46220

phone

(317) 800-7410

Email

support@lauriebmorse.com
  • Home
  • Services
    • Individual Therapy >
      • Individuals: Overview
      • Anxiety >
        • My Approach to Anxiety
      • Life Transitions
      • Divorce Discernment
    • Couples Therapy >
      • Couples: Overview
      • Gottman Method
      • Premarital Counseling
      • Divorce Discernment
    • Single Session Consultation
    • Workshops & Groups >
      • Premarital Workshops
    • Therapist Retreat >
      • Mini Retreat
  • Resources
    • Word Balm Studio (Journaling)
    • Anxiety Toolbelt >
      • Anxiety in Slow Motion
    • Anxiety Library
  • Blog
  • About
    • Meet Laurie
    • Location, Fees, & Scheduling
    • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Book Now
    • New Client Scheduling
    • Existing Client Scheduling