Plucking the Holly Bushes

This may seem weird, but I have this 'thing' which I do where I go outside and occasionally 'pluck' off the new pale green growth from my holly bushes. I do this is while the new growth is tender and pliable and the leaves have not hardened into little poking weapons, lol. 

Why?

Because it saves my arms.

Seriously, by regularly plucking off the new growth, it delays when I have to get out my electric bush trimmer to shape the bushes... which is a real shoulder and arm workout due to the height of top trim line and the weight of the trimmer with its long cutting arm [I use a decorative element on my brick as a reference point, which is approx. 3 inches below the top of my shoulders]. Bonus is that I get a little sunshine [beyond weekly mowing] when I go out to check the bushes - which often coincides when I am either dumping tea leaves and/or coffee grounds onto the ground beneath them, or checking the mail... so I might as well.

The interesting thing with all of this, is that it reminds me of some of my childhood years [age 8-12] when my family had a 1/4 acre garden on the single acre of land upon which our house sat. Summer mornings were spent tending the garden [planting, watering, weeding, & harvesting] before it got too hot outside to work. The whole motion of plucking the new growth from the holly is quite similar to the motion of picking green beans -- the difference is that I am standing now rather than squatting, and my legs are MUCH happier for it, lol!

There is beauty all around you.
Open your heart to it.

Rachel