From familiarity to gratitude

It is at this time of year that my garden becomes a thing of beauty and also a demanding child. I’ve realised that I have a habit of looking at the garden and noticing what isn’t ok rather than what is ok:

• the pruning that’s long overdue
• the weeds
• the bare patches in the lawn…….

Yet when anyone comes to visit they comment, without invitation, on how beautiful the garden looks. No doubt this is because they’re looking at the whole picture whereas I, who have each day to admire the garden, find myself looking at the detail.

Perhaps this is one way of understanding the phrase ‘familiarity breeds contempt’. Just as human relationships can become a hot bed of nit-picking, so can our relationships with inanimate objects and other life forms.

There has been some discussion in recent years about the role of  gratitude or appreciation as an important element in happiness (e.g. The Psychologist ). So I shall remind myself of this and focus on turning my metaphor from a demanding to a playful child. Here’s to a boisterous garden!