The Garden We Can Grow : What We Can and Cannot Control
- Shanna Truffini
- Sep 30
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 1
The Garden We Can Grow : What We Can and Cannot Control- So many of us are feeling this right now — getting lost in worries about the future, replaying moments from the past, or trying to control things that are simply beyond our reach. When this happens, weeds of stress and anxiety can take root, making it harder for us to stay grounded in the present moment.
As gardeners, we grow stronger when we focus on what we can grow and nurture, and when we choose gardening tools to guide us back to center.
There are some things in life we can control, some things we can nurture, and some things we cannot change.
We can control our thoughts, emotions, and actions. We can nurture our health, our schedule, and our kindness toward others. But we cannot control the past, the future, or the choices other gardeners make.
At the center of our garden is what we can control and tend to daily:
My thoughts — choosing a positive thought when a negative one creeps in.
My emotions — noticing how I feel and identifying it, instead of letting it take over.
My actions — choosing healthy gardening tools and taking steps that reflect my values, helping me grow stronger and calmer.
My self-care — resting, eating well, or doing something creative that restores me.
My treatment of others — choosing words and actions that plant seeds of kindness and respect.
Around that circle are the parts of life we can nurture, even if they’re not fully in our control:
My schedule — I can make space for the things that matter.
My health — I can support my body with movement, hydration, and care.
My kindness toward others — I can choose kind words and actions that plant seeds of respect.
My finances — tending to how I save, spend, and share.
And then there are the forces outside our reach. No gardener can control:
The past and the future — focusing on what cannot be changed or trying to control what hasn’t happened yet.
Other gardeners’ actions — what someone else chooses to say or do.
The weather — sunshine, rain, and changing seasons we we grow through.
World situations — the larger events and circumstances beyond our control.
The Garden We Can Grow poster and mindset is a daily reminder that when we focus on the thoughts, actions, and choices we can control, we feel stronger and more grounded.
✅ We feel calmer and less overwhelmed
✅ We build stronger roots of resilience
✅ We put more energy into what helps us grow
✅ We spend our time tending to what matters most
✅ We direct our care toward what is within our reach
✅ We grow stronger by choosing where to place our energy
🌸 A Gardener’s Tool in Action
Hey gardeners, check out our recent post on choosing Perler beads as a powerful gardening tool to help us take control and evoke feelings of calm, boost our confidence, and invite creativity and connection. Each tiny bead is a reminder that small, intentional actions can grow into something beautiful.
Taking time to place each bead is a choice we can control, and it gives gardeners of all ages a moment to slow down, focus, and create.
👉 Don’t forget to collect your Gardening Tool Badge for this activity! Add it to your Gardener Tool Collector Sheet as a reminder that focusing on what we can grow is one of the most powerful tools we have.
This Gardening Tool Badge represents the practice of focusing on what we can control. It reminds us to stay rooted in our thoughts, actions, and choices, rather than getting pulled into what’s beyond our reach.
When we focus on what we can grow and nurture, we strengthen our roots and create more space for calm, confidence, and connection. Life will always bring forces outside our reach, but our greatest growth comes from tending to the soil right in front of us.
By staying rooted in this mindset, gardeners of all ages can keep planting seeds of resilience and watching their gardens bloom.
You are a gardener.
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