I’ve never spent any time in my backyard. All of the planning and planting is usually poured into the front, but this year that changed.
One reason was the back porch/deck was falling apart and wasn’t safe to stand on, much less use, so I began talking with my landlord about it and sent him photos. It took him a while to find someone he trusts to rebuild it, but last year all of the wood was replaced and it looks new again. Whenever I’d let the dogs outside, I’d step out with them and started surveying the yard and you know what I saw?
Endless possibilities.
I’ve had two neighbors on separate occasions step into my backyard, and say the same thing, “Wow. You have your own little safe haven back here.” The only thing I saw at the time was my own private dog park, but wondered what would happen if I chose to spend more time there? The backyard sits lower than the front and is surrounded by privacy fence, but a nice breeze comes through.
By hanging a bird bath from the overhang of my gardening shed, I can see all the bird activity from the window of my writing room in the house, but now I get to watch them from the deck. The curved bench purchased last October at one heck of a price was not being used, so I moved it from the front yard, to the back porch.
With it being curved, it was going to take a minute to find it’s place, so I just lived with it being there and moved it around until finding what felt right. It quickly became my favorite place to sit in the mornings while sipping my cup of Ryze.
Small shifts in our thinking and seeing what we have that’s not being used can be pulled together to soothe our souls. My neighbors saw it long before I did and where my front yard has a sanctuary feel from the trees, my backyard is beginning to stand up to being called a safe haven.
Feature Photo by Partha Narasimhan on Unsplash
Inbarbsworld 
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