Appreciating the Beauty in Different Types of Flowers (6-18-25)

This will be the last in the series inspired by my wife’s garden. We are going wrap everything up with a final reflection on appreciating the beauty in different types of flowers.

Here are some more close up shots of some of the flowers that my wife is growing in her garden or in a nearby pot. Each of these flowers are beautiful, and all of them are beautiful for different reasons. There are some I love because of their bright colors. There are some I love because of the patterns on their petals. I like marigolds, because they look like a lion that is blooming. Every flower possesses beauty because of its own unique traits. I wouldn’t ever want the space petunias to be just like the marigolds, because that would rob me of a chance to see something uniquely wonderful.

Let’s make some connections. Like the flowers, we are all different. Like the flowers, we are all beautiful humans. Maybe, we are beautiful for our bright and bold energy. Maybe, we are beautiful for soft and thoughtful demeanor. Maybe, we are beautiful because of the unique patterns on our petals that tell a story. Whatever it is, I hope you are proud of the things that make you beautiful.

The challenge: Will you celebrate the beauty within yourself?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Strawberries, Flowers, and Appreciating Beauty (6-11-25)

Last week was about gardening, intentional collaboration, and decision rights. This week is about strawberries, flowers, and appreciating beauty.

The other day my wife said, “Whoa! You need to check this out!” Her first strawberry had emerged, and it looked incredible. On the flower side, Cam helped choose which flowers would fill the garden and the surrounding pots. He chose certain flowers he calls “space petunias” because of how awesome they look. I would not have appreciated the beauty of these moments and these plants, if it hadn’t been for the nudges from my wife and Cam. My life is better, because I’ve taken the time to see such things.

Let’s make some connections. When is the last time you paused to appreciate the beauty of something? Maybe it’s a flower. Maybe, it’s a sunrise. Maybe it’s the way a cat curls up for a nap. Maybe it’s a moment of peace as you sit on your back patio. Maybe it’s the laughter from you and a friend. Maybe it’s a guitar solo from a song. Seriously, when is the last time you paused and took in the beauty of something? Chances are it wasn’t recent enough.

The challenge: Will you pause to see the beauty around you?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Designing a Garden, Decision Making Rights, and Intentional Collaboration (6-4-25)

Last week was about bags of rock and not assuming you’re a burden. This week is about decision making rights and intentional collaboration.

Technically, it is my wife’s garden. However, she did invite us all to collaborate in certain ways. She was very clear that she alone was going to decide how to design the space, which included creating the paths, setting up the rock, and deciding which structures go where. Outside of the creating the space, she invited us in to help populate the space. We had the opportunity to choose flowers, vegetables, colors, and other potential decorations. My contribution is this cool cat statue that hangs out in the corner 😉

Let’s connect this to decision making rights and intentional collaboration. Sometimes, when people think of collaboration, they assume this means that everyone has an equal part throughout every step of the decision-making process. Have you ever experienced this on a project? I have, A LOT. I’d argue that our culture of consensus leads to this as well. Approaching problems in a manner where there has to be 100% consensus is incredibly inefficient and slow. The fact is that not everyone has equal decision rights in any given situation. The fact is that everyone’s viewpoint and feedback should not be equal in every situation.

Notice what my wife did in our story this week. She was crystal clear that she was the decision maker on the garden design. This clarity let the kids and I know not to spend any time there. My wife was also very clear on where she wanted our input. As a result, we could focus our time and efforts in that area. While my kids and I may not have weighed in on every decision, we were still able to contribute in meaningful ways. We are still proud of our contributions.

The challenge: Will you take the time to outline who has the true decision making rights? Will you take the time to outline roles and responsibilities when you begin collaborating?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Bags of Rock and Not Assuming You’re a Burden (5-28-25)

Last week was about my wife’s garden and the effort it took to create it. This week is about bags of rock and not assuming you’re a burden.

When my wife designed the garden, she decided that she wanted to put in some river rock. A few weeks ago, we went to Lowe’s and got several bags. When we got home, I unloaded the rock and my wife started placing it in the garden. Eventually, she saw that we would need more for tomorrow. She had been working hard all day, so she had no interest in leaving the house. #can’tblameher

I offered to go to the store to get more. She said I didn’t have to. We went back and forth for a bit. Ultimately, she felt like she was being a burden and forcing me to go to the store. She figured since she didn’t want to leave the house I felt the same way. Meanwhile, getting the rock wasn’t a big deal for me. In fact, I viewed carrying the rock as a good workout for the day. I also knew how much joy the garden would bring to her and the rest of the family. Ultimately, I got the stuff, and she appreciated it.

Let’s make some connections. Did my wife’s story sound familiar to you? Have you ever felt guilty or been overly concerned that someone was going too far out of their way to help? I know I have. It’s easy to get conditioned into believing that we shouldn’t ask for or accept help. It’s easy to feel like we are a burden to folks if they do help us. The truth is 99% of the time this isn’t the case. 99% of the time that person is helping because they care about you and want to. Plus, who is to say that they even view the ask or the situation a big deal in the first place?

The challenge: Will you embrace that you are not a burden?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

A Finished Garden and What it Took to Get There (5-21-25)

This week we are going to start a series inspired by some work we’ve done around the house. We will start by reflecting on a finished garden and what it took to get there.

The picture on the right is how our garden in the backyard looks. My wife did all of this. Isn’t she awesome? There are walking paths, mosaic stones, flores, a rainbow fence, and other vegetables. Hanging out on my back patio and looking at this makes me so happy.

Here’s the thing though. It didn’t start out looking like that. Now look at the other picture. It started with just a bunch of dirt. To get it to where it is now my wife had to put in a lot of work. She sketched out designs for the garden, purchased the materials, and pulled it all together. It took weeks of working to get to the end result.

Let’s connect dots. Every day we see images of the final beautiful product. It’s easy to become obsessed with this finished product and to lose perspective on everything it took to get there. That success didn’t happen overnight. It was months and years of hard work.

The challenge: How can we appreciate the beauty AND the work it took to get there?

Bonus thought- We can be beautiful AND be works in progress at the same time. Life is just a series of transitions. Much like the plants in my wife’s garden, sometimes we are blooming and sometimes we are growing and working our way through the dirt.

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry