There are things in life that don’t go the way we planned. Dreams that fell flat. Friendships that soured. Mistakes that haunt us in the quiet hours. It piles up, doesn’t it? The heartbreaks, the burned bridges, the should’ve, could’ve, would’ve cycle.
And just like the garden, life starts to stink if we don’t do something with all that waste.
Here’s the secret gardeners know, compost happens. And it’s not a mess to be ashamed of. It’s a resource!
Rot is Not the End. It’s the Beginning.
Take a good look at your compost pile. It’s the stuff nobody wanted, banana peels, wilted greens, eggshells, the weeds you yanked out in frustration. Useless, right? Ugly, smelly, past its prime?
Give it time. Give it air. Give it a little heat and a good turning now and then. That pile starts to change. The rot breaks down. The stink fades. And what’s left? Rich, dark, living earth. The kind of stuff that makes everything grow better.
You, my friend, are no different.
Let It Break Down
You don’t have to carry every old hurt with you. You don’t have to hide the parts of yourself that feel broken, bitter, or bruised. You just need a place to put it. Somewhere it can transform.
That place might be journaling. Or a walk in the woods. Or ugly crying in your car to a sad song from 2018 (my fav is The Night We Met, by Lord Hurron.) It might be a therapist’s office or a garden bed. Whatever it is, go there. Let the pain breathe. Let it turn over in the light.
It’s not weakness. It’s alchemy.
The Best Soil is the Most Worked-Over
Isn’t it funny how the places with the most struggle often produce the most beauty? Compost-fed soil grows stronger roots, bigger blooms, and sweeter fruit.
The same is true of you! If you’ve been through it, and I mean really been through it, you’ve got something powerful beneath your surface now. You’re not fragile. You’re fortified.
The stuff you thought would ruin you? It’s feeding the next version of you.
Don’t Rush the Process
Compost doesn’t happen overnight. There’s a slow magic to it. Things have to heat up, cool down, settle in, and get turned around a few times before they’re ready.
So be patient with your healing. Don’t dig up the pile every day looking for results. Just keep showing up. Keep tending. Keep trusting that something good is happening, even if you can’t see it yet.
Because eventually, you’ll plant something new in that soil. And it will thrive, not in spite of what you went through, but because of it instead.
Yard 2 Yield! 