Inside you is a garden
It could be eden
Or it could be a wasteland

What grows in the garden
Is not dependent on experience
But on the depth of being
Learned through experience

The seeds are already planted
In each of us, they lie dormant
Our freedom is the choice
Which seeds we water
And which flowers we grow

Even though life is cruel
And we suffer tremendous hardship
Some will still choose
To grow love and kindness
Yet others, some from privilege and power
Choose to grow meanness and division

Our power is on the inside
We get to decide what we water and grow
I choose beauty, tenderness
And the kind of love that heals

Using the choice of what we tend to
What we grow, and what we banish
From our garden
Is a revolutionary act
And no matter what happens
It cannot be taken away

Make the choice wisely
Make it often, every day
Every interaction, every choice
Every time you are triggered
Every time you are insulted
When anger rages
When vengeance rears its head
In difficult times
And easy times
Remember your power to choose.

Photo by Veronica Reverse on Unsplash