Howdy, Bubba! Hey, if you're new around these parts, I just want to say how much I appreciate you dropping by! Oh, and you may want to subscribe to my feed. Thanks, and a tip o' the hat to ya!

Continuing our guest post extravaganza this week, today I present one of my favorite people in the whole world, Joanna Young of Confident Writing. To be honest, I can’t remember how long Joanna and I have been friends (although she still needs to learn how to eat pizza correctly). Somehow, though, we just hit it off right away, and I highly recommend Confident Writing for your daily “must read” list.

Joanna is a writing coach who is all about, not just writing, but writing with voice, with style, and most of all, with confidence. She also co-hosts a series of writing retreats on the beautiful Italian island of Sardinia with Emma Bird. If you’re serious about writing, it’s definitely worth spending your vacation on, I’ll tell ya.

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The Obstacles In Your Path

by Joanna Young

I love to walk. Above all else, I love to walk in the west highlands. Not up mountains (not yet anyway) but around headlands, across moorland, through ancient woods, along the side of a loch. Most times I walk by myself. I enjoy my own company and love the peace, space and opportunity to lose myself in my own thoughts. I don’t feel nervous, don’t take risks, and enjoy the solitude.

Except.

Except when something stands in my way. Something that will stop me in my tracks and make me wish, wish, wish that there was someone else with me who could tell me what to do.

In Mexico it was a fierce, barking dog who stood in my way. In the west highlands it’s not dogs, but cattle. Sometimes up close, and outrageously large. Sometimes a distance off, but with heads lifted up, watching me. (Why do they all turn and stare like that?) Sometimes it’s highland cows which while photogenic are scary when in the same field.

And sometimes it’s the ominous site of a bull.

I had one of those moments when I was on holiday a few weeks ago. It was a damp, misty day but I was out on a woodland, glen and lochside walk. For the first few miles I was happy as could be: looking at wild flowers, taking photos, enjoying the view.

Five miles into the seven mile walk and I was starting to flag a bit. The mist was coming down. My mobile phone signal had long since disappeared. I hadn’t seen another person for at least an hour. But at least it was only two miles to go.

That’s when I saw the cattle. Just off to the side of my path, a bull standing clearly amongst them. My heart sank. What to do?

Risk Assessment

My internal dialogue went something like this:

“I don’t want to walk past them. I’m miles from anywhere, no signal, no one knows I’m here”

“They’re probably harmless though. The bull’s probably happy enough with all those cows. The farmer wouldn’t leave a dangerous animal by a right of way.”

“It’s not exactly a bustling thoroughfare though is it?”

“I know, but I’m tired. It’s five miles back. It’d be almost dark by the time I’m done. I’ll walk past and pretend not to be scared”

So I walk, fast, though not so fast as to draw attention to myself. Heart beats faster.

“Hrmmmph” blows the bull through his nostrils.

Is he talking to me? I daren’t look up. Looking down I notice my bright red rain jacket. I surreptitiously pull it off – does this make it more or less likely I’ll be noticed? I stuff it into my bag. Is that waving a red rag in bull speak?

I walk faster. How quickly can I get through that gate before he decides to come after me? Can he barge through the gate? How will I get to safety?

But of course, I do. The bull puts his head back down and I scuttle past.

As I scuttle, I’m thinking: why do I do this, why did I think this was a good idea, why don’t I have a whistle, why am I walking alone, why would I ever want to walk off the beaten track again.

Never again.

Until the next time I’m tempted by a trail, that is.

Because fear fades with time and distance, just as it makes obstacles (especially of the hairy, horned variety), larger, scarier and more aggressive when we’re living in the fear, right up along side those obstacles, or walking bravely past them.

When I look back at my risk assessment I know it wasn’t rational. I was more afraid than I probably needed to be. But I let other factors like tired legs and pig-headedness over-ride some of my natural caution.

I guess that’s why a second pair of eyes is what I wish for when obstacles – or highland cattle – stand in my way. To let me know if I’m being unduly reckless, or too much of a fearty*.

The parallels with other aspects of our lives aren’t hard to find. Things we’re scared of loom large, off-putting, telling us to go back – when perhaps we should keep moving forward.

But maybe sometimes we need a second perspective to say: look, that thing really has got horns, there’s no shame in going another way.

How about you? How do you take stock of the obstacles you find in your path? Do you try and get out of their way – or walk bravely past?

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Joanna Young is a writing coach and proud author of a book of Short Walks on Skye. You can read more of her work at Confident Writing: a blog packed full of writing tips and virtual coaching to help you write with confidence. If you’d like to see some of the photos from her walks in the west highlands you can follow her on Flickr.

The photo Are You Looking at Me? isn’t hers: do you think she was going to stop and take photos?

It was taken by the wonderful (and obviously braver than Joanna) Amy Palko from Less Ordinary.

*Scottish term for being a scaredy cat

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!

Continuing this week’s marathon guest post session, today we have a Three Stooges moment contribution from my buddy Brad Shorr. What can I say about a fellow who volunteered to pick me up at Chicago’s O’Hare airport and drive me all the way downtown for SOBCon ‘08? I mean, is this guy whacko or what? What a guy!

Brad’s passion is sales, and he is an expert in the B2B sales and marketing world (not to mention quite the word nerd!) He is currently on a mission to help businesses take advantage of the medium of blogging (and helping those of us who typically run screaming into the night at the mere mention of the word “sales”).

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My Slapstick Moment on the Slopes

by Brad Shorr

First of all, thank you, Robert, for the opportunity to write a guest post on your blog. I always enjoy coming here for your stories and lively conversation. I feel a lot of pressure subbing for you!

Yet another story about falling down mountains

You’d think that after not one, but two stories about falling down mountains, I’d be plum out. Au contraire, I have a third! This one makes me chuckle even now, because it’s such a funny visual image, the kind of thing that belongs in a screwball comedy film or an I Love Lucy episode.

I’m in high school, at the top of an icy slope with my younger brother, a far superior skier who I had allowed to goad me into tackling a run much harder than anything I could handle. I remember the hollow, chilling feeling of being utterly trapped. Staring down the throat this impossibly steep ski run, I wondered, How the heck am I going to get out of here? I couldn’t even imagine myself back at the bottom. No way to go forward, no way to go back. (Well, not exactly, I could have taken the lift down, but I would rather have died of frostbite than suffer that humiliation.)

My brother, nonchalantly skiing around me in circles, gave me a pep talk. To this day, I’m not sure whether he sincerely thought I could handle the slope or was just eager to see some entertainment. At any rate and for whatever reason, I reluctantly pushed off and began my descent into Three Stooges hell.

Before you could say “Ski Patrol!”, I was nearly out of control, falling into the hands of gravity. Fortunately, the run was wide enough for me to sway/lurch/careen back and forth instead of rocketing off into the trees as I did in an earlier story. This time, I found myself heading straight down the center of the run, where I could now see that it would gently level out, allowing me to come to a sweet, slow stop.

This would have been good news, except for one thing. There was a ski lesson going on right at the base. Two instructors, on skis of course, were facing a line of about 12 young students, also on skis. Between the instructors and the students was a gap of about six or eight feet.

It was directly into this gap that I was heading.

All of a sudden, as the instructors were barking out instructions to the class, I came barreling right through the middle, screaming “LOOK OUT! LOOK OUT!” You could hear the clackclackclackclackclack as my right ski skied over the skis of the students. I was going too fast to see their expressions, but I could imagine. What kind of an idiot skis through the middle of a ski class? Fortunately none of them died of fright or came after me wielding a ski pole.

Talk about your slapstick moment

Sometimes life does imitate art, doesn’t? Have you ever been in a situation that really, truly belongs in a comedy show? Those are the stories that are great to tell in the bar, at the bowling alley, or playing Jarts in the backyard. If you have a slapstick moment to share, I don’t know about you, but I’d love to hear it. I’ll bet we could all use something to take the edge off the economic news, huh?
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Brad Shorr, president of Word Sell, Inc., is a marketing consultant and writer who lives near Chicago, Illinois, USA. He helps companies strengthen their online presence, engage in social media marketing, create and manage business blogs, and write compelling Web content.

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!

Howdy, folks! Starting today and for the next few days we have a great lineup of guest authors here at the Zone for your reading pleasure. And a pleasure it will be, too! So stay tuned every day this week for a great lineup!

Today we have a guest post from my friend Karen Swim of Words for Hire. I first met her via Joanna Young’s blogging community at Confident Writing, and have always been blessed by her remarkable insights.

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What I Learned From Balloon Animals

by Karen Swim

I walked into church on Sunday and saw happy faces wearing balloons on their head. Now before we go any further, let me explain this is not a normal occurrence! While the atmosphere at church is always upbeat, there was a more festive mood today. I moved a little slower through the corridor as I wondered, if it was really Sunday. I had a tough week, was it Saturday? Was this Neighborhood Bible Camp?  Hey, was I even awake? I rubbed my eyes just in case and blinked twice. I mean I have been known to have vivid dreams and did sleep read as a kidI I gave my arm a quick pinch (Ouch!) and confirmed that indeed I was awake.

As I got closer to the sanctuary, I spotted my pastor wearing a goofy grin, a pair of shorts and a balloon animal on his head. Well, church was sure going to be interesting today!

A Joyous Celebration

I slid into a pew and opened the bulletin to see what was in store. On the front was a picture of smiling church members with suitcases and a scripture that aptly summed up their trip:

“The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.” (Psalms 126:3, New International Version)

The pastor and a group of members had just returned from Bosnia and today were going to share tales of their trip.  Each member would share and there would be skits in between. Well this would be fun!

No Words Required

The team had spent 10 days in a rented home with one bathroom. Let’s just say they got to know each other pretty well. I listened intently as they described the wonderful people they met and the warmth they received. While in Bosnia they had gathered daily at a park where they performed skits, puppet shows, sang songs and painted the faces of children who gathered. The skits ranged from Paul Bunyan to bible stories and were performed without words.

I watched as each skit was performed without words but with a meaning so clear it could be understood in any language. The last skit was so moving, it brought tears to my eyes. It detailed the struggle of the Bosnian people and reinforced God’s love. Although I had not endured the war and hardship even I clearly understood the powerful message.

I left church with a balloon animal in hand and thought of the communication without words. I wondered how often I babble away at people in a foreign tongue. Do I chatter away about writing, marketing and social media in words that sound like jibberish to the uninitiated? Do I communicate my heart in the words that I write? Is my message clear to those who may not speak the same language?

From the Heart

The mission team was sensitive to the language barrier. While many of the Bosnian people spoke English the church team members came prepared to communicate on common ground. They were more concerned with connecting and building a relationship than “selling” their message. They allowed their hearts and their passion for helping people to guide their communications. As a result, bonds of friendship were formed and led to ongoing communication. One team member even bridged the sign language barrier (Bosnians use British Sign Language as opposed to American Sign Language) with a group of folks at an internet café.

I looked at the balloon animal and realized that while words can be powerful we may sometimes hide behind them. We put our words out front and use them to do the talking when what is really needed is our heart. I realized that I could do a better job of communicating without words. It was important to try to build a relationship that required no fancy terms or “special” language, to listen and understand the needs of others in their language before I ever attempted to present a solution.

I kept the balloon animal on my desk all week to remind me to allow my heart to shine through in all of my communications.  While I learn a lot at church, I never expected such a powerful lesson from balloon animals!

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Karen Swim is the owner of Words For Hire.  She combines marketing science and artful storytelling to help her clients capture the attention of their target audience. She blogs about life, shoes and other adventures at Words For Hire.

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!

Next Monday we’ll be kicking off our next What I Learned From… groupwrite project. As promised, I’m announcing the topic today so those of you who are time-challenged can have more of that valuable commodity to write your entries.

Before I make the announcement, though, let’s start with a question: What, exactly, is a Metaphor?

Consider, if you will, the following statement:

A simile - or to be like something - is to retain some irresolvable difference which means one can never fully substitute for the other. On the other hand, a metaphor actually is a substitution - it is an equation in principle.

So for you wordsmiths out there, here’s what I’m talking about:

The statement, “Living in Texas is like I’d died and gone to heaven,” is what’cha call a simile (not to mention an example of your typical Texas Tourism Board ad copy). While it is no doubt certain that heaven is most definately a better place than, well, pretty much anywhere, according to this statement, in certain ways living in Texas is similar to living in heaven.

(Now, rather than regaling you with a list of the wondrous virtues, or bursting into song or anything, why don’t we just go with the fact that I’m biased - and let’s move on, shall we?)

This next statement, “Living in Texas is heaven,” though, is a metaphor. Notice the difference? Although not necessarily an exact substitution, the expression “living in Texas” is still roughly equivalent in principle to living in heaven, if you get my drift.

Generally speaking, when you see the word “like” or “as”, it’s usually a simile. A metaphor generally uses the word “is”. Got it?

Now, here’s where I announce this month’s topic:

Metaphors for Life

So what do I mean by Metaphors for Life? Well, it’s pretty simple, actually. All you have to do is just answer the question, What is life, to you?

Believe me when I say there is no shortage of life-metaphors out there! Want some examples?

When I searched Flikr for the phrase “life is a”, I found that life is, among other things, a: cabaret, a puzzle, a circus, a highway, a laugh, a beach, a suite, a carnival, a pleasant journey, a tree, a silly game, a beautiful monster, a bowl of lychee, a blur, a poem, a great big canvas, a mix, a struggle, and a dance. And that’s only from the first few pages of search results! Phew!

One thing to remember about life-metaphors; we all use ‘em because they help us understand and cope with life, you know? And, sometimes we have more than one in mind - depending on the day of the week, our time of life, or whether or not our bank account is in the black or not.

Do you find yourself running hard, but getting nowhere fast? Then life must be a treadmill. Or maybe it’s an icy surface. Could it be a slippery slope? Hey, you get the idea.

So for this month’s challenge you’ll (figuratively) finish the statement:

Life is a _(fill in the blank)_.

Go ahead and fill in the blank with anything your little pea-pickin’ heart desires, my friends. Then tell us why you chose that particular metaphor and what you learned from it. (By the way, you don’t have to stick to this exact form - feel free to present your thoughts any way you like.)

So get ready, folks - we officially kick off the next groupwrite project on Monday, August 4^th!

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Image credits: Life is a Bowl Full of Cherries, by nicole

“Metaphors for Life” montage created from Spell with Flikr, a truly nifty little gizmo created by Erik Kastner

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You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!

I know, I know; I like to think every week is a big week around here. I mean, you come to the Zone (for which I truly thank you) and are regaled practically every day with tales from the dark side odd, strange, and on occasion, whacko stories that, believe it or not, actually happened. (As Matthew Broderick said in The Freshman: “This is not a movie script; it’s my actual life.”)

But this week - well, folks, I’m proud to say this is gonna be a heckuva week here at the Middle Zone! Strangely enough, it’s all because I’m not, um, here. (Kinda hard to miss the irony, don’tcha think?)

Yep; I’m going to be traipsing around the country on business this week (tiptoeing through Tennessee, actually), and it struck me (sound of dull thud) this would be a great opportunity to invite some of my favorite people to guest host here at the Middle Zone.

So this week, be prepared to be amazed, wowed, and especially blessed with not one, not two, but four wonderful guest posts! Here’s the schedule:

Monday, July 28 - Yours Truly. Hey, since our next What I Learned From… groupwrite project kicks off next week, I reserved this day to announce our topic. Thanks to the magic of scheduling, I can do this without actually, you know, being here. Regarding this month’s topic, well, I think you’re gonna be intrigued… and challenged. Better start revvin’ up those pencil sharpeners, folks!

Tuesday, July 29 - Karen Swim, Words for Hire. Karen is a 20-year-plus sales, marketing and management veteran who specializes in bringing the human touch to her work. A freelance writer and marketer, she knows how to combine her passion for people and for writing to deliver outstanding results for her clients. I first met her via Joanna Young’s blogging community at Confident Writing, and have always been blessed by her remarkable insights.

Wednesday, July 30 - Brad Shorr, Word Sell, Inc. Brad’s passion is sales, and he is an expert in the B2B sales and marketing world (not to mention quite the word nerd!) He is currently on a mission to help businesses take advantage of the medium of blogging (and helping those of us who typically run screaming into the night at the mere mention of the word “sales”). What can I say about a man who volunteered to pick me up at Chicago’s O’Hare airport and drive me all the way downtown for SOBCon ‘08? What a guy!

Thursday, July 31 - Joanna Young, Confident Writing. To be honest, I can’t remember how long Joanna and I have been friends (although she still needs to learn how to eat pizza correctly). Somehow we just hit it off right away, and I highly recommend Confident Writing for your daily “must read” list. Joanna is a writing coach who is all about, not just writing, but writing with voice, with style, and most of all, with confidence. She also co-hosts a series of writing retreats on the beautiful Italian island of Sardinia with Emma Bird. If you’re serious about writing, it’s definitely worth spending your vacation on, I’ll tell ya.

Friday, August 1 - Liz Strauss, Successful Blog. No matter what I could ever tell you, words are simply inadequate to describe the Queen of relationship blogging. Back when I first began the Middle Zone, I accidentally stumbled across Successful Blog - and was so intimidated by the accumulated information, helps, and advice it literally scared me away! Luckily, good sense prevailed and I came back; I now count Liz as a genuine friend and continuing inspiration. If you’ve never visited her site, well Bubba, you’d better run, not walk, as fast as you can, and get there! You’ll understand what I mean.

Join me this week in welcoming these wonderful writers to the Middle Zone! Don’t worry; I’ll still be around and should be able to check in every now and then. And like the Ghost in the Machine, I’ll be back next week for the kickoff to August’s What I Learned From… groupwrite project!

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!

Howdy folks; a big ol’ tip o’ the hat to ya!

Today I’ve got a special welcome for those of you who are relatively new to the Zone, or who just followed a link from Liz Strauss’ Blog Showcase at Successful Blog. Let me say right off “Thanks for dropping by!” (And many thanks for doing this to you too, Liz!)

Allow me to show you around. To begin with, I’m proud to be called a Texan from Texas, living in a small town called Tomball (which really amounts to a suburb up on the northern edge of Houston). Suffice it to say, as you will no doubt be able to tell by my *ahem* obvious charm and sophistication, I’m a city boy through and through.

Should you be so inclined, you can read all About Yours Truly or all About the Middle Zone and see how we like to do things around here. Trust me on this; the Middle Zone is a friendly and easy-going place, and you’re welcome to mosey around and check things out for yourself.

Since you’d probably like to know a little bit about what I write here, I took the liberty of assembling a baker’s dozen of my most popular and/or favorite posts, written over the last four months (well, all except the first one). Hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed writing them. Of course, if you’re bound and determined to leave a comment, then hey, nobody’s gonna stop you…

Oh, one last thing before I turn you loose - if you like what you see, I’d truly be honored if you’d subscribe to my RSS feed - or, you can subscribe via email. Either way, it will guarantee you’ll never miss a thing.

And Bubba, that would be finer than a frog’s hair!

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• A Light in the Darkness - If you’re a new blogger, you’ll recognize this sentiment: “Ok, I’m blogging. But is anyone out there reading it?” One of my older, but still very favorite posts.
• The Boy Who Would Be King - Do you have high aspirations, but haven’t seen any progress as yet? Well Bubba, you ain’t alone!
• Out of Order - Mixed messages, and what they may, or may not, say.
• Hidden Potential - You ever think about what you’re going to be when you grow up? Yup; me too.
• The Missing Element - Thoughts about the distressing lack of eloquence we see in public forums today.
• Reality Check - Have you ever experienced a shining moment of glory, only to find out it, er, wasn’t what you thought? Yep; thought so. Been there.
• It Came to Pass - Every time I find myself in the midst of a trial of some kind or other, this phrase has always served as a comforting reminder: It’s only come to pass; it’s not here to stay.
• The First Step to Effective Communication - Here’s my super-duper, sure-fire, never-fail first step, required for all good communication. Trust me; you’ll thank me for it.
• What are You Saying, Without Saying a Word? - Give any thought lately to the amount of information people pick up about you, just by “listening in” to your words? You should!
• Well, Ain’t That Just the Duck’s Posterior! - What can one learn from (if you’ll pardon the expression) a duck’s, er, posterior? Hey, don’t laugh; you’d be surprised. OK; go ahead and laugh - but check it out.
• The Day I Decided to, er, Get Help - Has this ever happened to you? I’m talking about times when it seems like, no matter what you do, you simply can’t “make it work”?
• Overcoming Barriers - What do you do when you hit a brick wall? Might be a question worth pondering. Several readers contributed their solutions in Part 2. Social learning at its best!
• What I Learned From Really, Really Tired Feet - A few of life’s little lessons I learned while a door-to-door salesman a long time ago.

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Y’all take your time, look around - heck, kick the tires if you like. Pull up a chair, put your feet up and sit a spell. You’ll always be welcome here at the Zone!

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!

[Note from the proprietor: This is one of a series (I don't know how many) on stuff I learned from our backyard garden.]

Don’t you love a good romantic “boy meets girl” story? I know I do - especially when there are tanks, and maybe space ships involved. (I dunno; maybe that’s just me?)

Anyway, here’s one that happened in our own back yard. (Alas; there were no tanks OR spaceships involved, though.)

I’d like to introduce you to Phil, and his friend, Queenie. (click on the photo for a much larger and clearer view)

Now Phil and Queenie are what’cha call Split-Leaf Philodendrons. However, if you want to get really technical and impress your friends and co-workers, you can call them by their Latin name: Philodendron bippinnitifidum, a wondrously rhythmic appellation that flows trippingly off the tongue in such a way that makes you want to tap your fingers in accompaniment. (Go ahead; repeat bippinnitifidum several times in a row - you’ll see what I mean).

When Mrs. MZM and I first saw Phil, he was a nothing remarkable; just an ordinary plant in a 3-gallon plastic container at the local discount nursery. Queenie was a smaller version in a 1-gallon container. To be honest, we weren’t even specifically looking for philodendrons; we just had an empty spot on our patio to fill. And having just returned from our year in Aruba, we wanted something, you know, tropical to remind us of *sigh* paradise lost.

Anyway, after wandering around the nursery for a while, we ended up in the area where they keep the plants under that black mesh thingie. You know; for the plants that aren’t supposed to have “full sun”. We spotted Phil among the many fine specimens, and before you could say philodendron bippinnitifidum (can you hear my fingers a-tappin’?), we had him and Queenie firmly nestled in their new pots on our patio: Phil on one side, Queenie on the other.

At least, we assumed it would be a good spot. I mean, there was no direct sun, plenty of indirect light, water every couple of days or so - what more could they want? In fact, they did pretty well at first; growing a bit as they settled in. Sadly, though, over the next few months we saw dismaying signs of unhappiness. First, it was yellowish leaves; then it was droopy stems. (Don’t you just hate it when that happens? I know I do!) It almost seemed as if they had stopped growing, too.

What could be wrong? At first we thought they might be getting too much shade, so we moved them to where they could get a few hours of gentle morning sun. Fertilizer didn’t help, either. We tried everything we could think of, to no avail. Phil and Queenie just weren’t thriving on the patio.

We finally realized they had outgrown their pots (constricting their roots a bit), so we moved them into the ground. Phil got a nice spot over in the corner, while Queenie ended up near the patio. That should do the trick, we thought.

Strangely, Phil didn’t seem to do well in his new home, either. I mean, he had partial shade, good water, nice soil, and anything else we could think of, but nothing seemed to help. His leaves turned an even sicklier yellow as the stems slowly eventually drooped down to the dirt. To be honest, we thought he was a goner.

Queenie, on the other hand, seemed to perk up a little. But still, she never grew any bigger, no matter what. Fertilizer, water, you name it, she never changed. Now what?

We finally decided since Phil wasn’t doing the job we’d hired him for - which was to fill up that particular corner - well, we needed to find a larger and hopefully hardier occupant. But rather than jerk him up by the roots and send him to that great compost heap in the sky, we tried one last thing: we planted him next to Queenie.

That’s when the magic happened.

In an absolutely amazing transformation, both Phil and Queenie perked up virtually overnight! What’s more; within a couple of weeks their leaves had not only turned fully green again, but they were both standing up proudly as growing plants ought. It was the most stunning turnaround we’d ever seen.

It was obviously a match made in gardening heaven. Once we put them together, they began to grow like crazy! These days, both Phil and Queenie are prospering beautifully. And not only that, but they’re growing a family, too (if you look at the photo closely, you’ll see Phil is now a grandpa). Life is indeed good.

Now, it should be obvious to all but the most clueless that what you just read describes not only a sweet, albeit peculiar, love story. But there are at least two, and probably many more, valuable life lessons to be gleaned from this heartfelt tale as well.

The Sweet Spot

See, like us, in order to not only grow, but to prosper, Phil and Queenie needed to be in the right spot. Oh, those other places were OK; they just weren’t quite the right environment. In fact, they even seemed to hinder further growth. Not good.

We’re like that too, aren’t we? A constricting environment can hinder our own growth as well. We need space to spread our wings, don’t we? Yep; finding the right spot can make all the difference.

So you have to ask yourself the question: Am I in the right place? (And don’t forget its corollary: … Is it the right time?) If you’re not, or the timing is off (and I’ve been there, believe me!), then life can be as tough as tryin’ to rope a calf with a hair net: you might be able to do it, but it won’t be easy!

Everybody Needs Somebody Sometime

And here’s’ another thing: Unless they happen to be Triffids (and if they are, then - Run! Run for your life!), plants don’t usually have the ability to relocate themselves. Well, duh. Thus, Phil and Queenie depended on us to get them to the right spot.

In some ways, it’s the same for humans, too. Oh, sure, we work and we work, and we do everything we can to make the most of what we have, right? But when you get right down to it, is anybody ever truly “self-made”? Of course not! The truth is we all depend upon each other in an interconnected way that boggles the brain (sound of brain, boggling) if we’d just take the time to realize it.

My (unsolicited and possibly unwanted) advice? Why fight it? Don’t be afraid to depend on someone else for something you can’t do for yourself. It’s not a sign of weakness, you know. In fact, looked at from some angles, it could be a sign of strength.

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Anyway, Phil and Queenie are doing fine - they send their regards. Their family keeps growing all the time. And they do brighten up that spot in the garden.

Happy Endings

Now c’mon, admit it; don’t you just love happy endings? You know; when all the strings in a story get tied together, and you’re left with a sense of completeness? Doesn’t it just make you feel good all over when that happens? When was the last time you experienced a happy ending? Care to share it with us?

You know, it would just be absolutely finer than a frogs hair if you would subscribe to my RSS feed!