Why This Is Happening:
 Lately, I’ve been feeling like my life is an overstuffed and overrun garden shed. Full of rich soil, tangled roots and weeds, scattered tools, and just a few too many seed packets I’ve collected over the years, just waiting to be planted. Between running two business and working part-time for a third, prepping for a once-in-a-lifetime work trip, and managing the ebb and flow of family dynamics and major life transitions—it’s been… full.

In all that fullness, a persistent notion keeps tapping on my shoulder:
 “Hey, what if you slowed down just enough to capture and tend to the pieces of wisdom sprinkled throughout all this chaos?”

And in the quiet moments, when I step outside of the busy-ness, that voice becomes louder and more insistent. 

So, I journaled it out, and as usual, this lean inward started turning into a conversation and a takeaway:

I don’t want to add another system.

I don’t want another junk-drawer of notes.
I need a garden.

A place where my observations can grow—not as unfinished bullet points lost in an iPhone abyss, but as a garden of ideas from which to harvest and nourish my life, and a place to share them.

And not just sharing polished conclusions that come after the “ta-da!” moment, but the raw, growing things—the life notes. The little lessons, patterns, conversations, and imperfect drafts unfolding right now.

The Gardening Metaphor (How It Bloomed):
In this very journal entry, while reflecting on how to avoid creating another “idea graveyard,” the gardening analogy sprouted like a volunteer sunflower.

It felt right to go with this parallel to my thought processes. Because my creative process is cyclical.
It is messy, organic, and requires seasons of both tending and resting.

So instead of just naming my folders “Inbox” or “Drafts,” I decided to experiment with a system rooted in this metaphor:

• 🌱 Thought Seeds – the raw sparks
• 🪴 Propagation Station – where the ideas start to take shape
• 💐 Share Shelf – where these ideas bloom and are ready to be arranged
• ❇️ On Display – the archive of blossoms that have been shared

It’s a garden. It’s mine. And I’m letting it be a slow-growing thing.

Three Small Ripples:
 1️⃣ The Seed:
I realized I don’t just want to document milestones, the polished product—I want to share the soil. The behind-the-scenes growth, the unfiltered self-discovery, the weeds, the compost, the tangles, and the unexpected blooms. It’s about creating a living archive of the process—the behind-the-scenes musings that often don’t make it into the “success story” recap.  

2️⃣ The Gardener’s Challenge:
My tendency is to over-plant—too many seeds, not enough tending, and not enough pruning. This time, I’m inviting a soft structure: Capture → Curate → Create → Share. It’s system that allows me to gather, revisit, and release stories with intention.

3️⃣ The Experiment:
The Life Notes Grove🌳 is not being promoted (for now). I want this to be a space where I can reflect, tinker, and only pull forward what feels ready. No pressure; just a practice in my becoming. And when a story sprouts forward, it’ll be found right here in this very blog space—no grand announcements, just quiet unfolding.

So here we are. My garden grove is taking shape. And you’re reading the first leaf unfurling.