Inaction: Neglect or Trust?

This post is 99% true.

Unapologetic: Art by me.

Writing class has finished for this term, which means I can write again (in case you’d noticed my Substack absence for the past few weeks).

I AM writing when I am not here, but what comes through me during term time are pieces that are too close to my heart to share anywhere other than with my treasured writing class companions. Maybe someday…

I have been continuing my 100 Day Project of painting and posting, most days through gritted teeth; whether I will get to day 100 remains to be seen - today I think not. This is because it was a SHIT day yesterday. Again.

This morning common sense prevailed and I took myself out to the garden instead of stepping up to the canvas and sowed my November Flower Kit seeds. Musk Mallow, Lavatera, Dill, Flax and another one I’ve forgotten because it was over 15 minutes ago and I’m 53.

And with my hands in the soil and only the cat and birdsong for company; I was happy.

I felt gratitude for The Floral Project and how it has supported my family and I for the past six years. It has grown by nearly 20% in 2025.

And yet, I haven’t been ‘doing lots of things’ with it.

As I placed the seed trays into the greenhouse, I noticed it was emptier than usual for this time of the year. That is because everything I have sowed for the past few months has germinated, grown into healthy plants and been planted out into the garden to over-winter. This is what they should do, of course, but in past years they have failed in many ways - failed to germinate, failed to grow beyond 3mm tall, failed to do what they should fast enough to beat the frosts.

And yet, I’ve hardly spent any time in the garden or greenhouse.

It struck me that there’s a difference between neglect and trust.

And that inaction can be a result of either.

In years gone by, I have neglected my seedlings and my garden and they have reflected that. Poor little buggers have been frozen through neglecting to shut the greenhouse door at night and frazzled from neglecting to open it in the morning. They’ve died of thirst, been munched by slugs and smashed to smithereens when I haven’t tied the greenhouse down properly.

In other years, I have spent eight hours a day, four days a week outside; digging, planting, potting on, pricking out. But I haven’t had the same results as this year.

This year, distracted by art, I have been in the garden for only an hour or so most weekends. I have also asked for help and have a wonderful gardener who helps me take care of the planting and borders. But this year, I have trusted, not neglected.

Here’s the difference as I see it.

Inaction resulting from neglect = things do worse without your attention.

Inaction resulting from trust = things do better without your ministrations.

Two of my children are away at university and I don’t call them all that often. I trust they are fine. They do better when I’m NOT on the phone every day because they have to figure out life for themselves. That’s trust.

My dad is ill and I don’t call him as often as I should. His life is not as good as it could be because of that. That’s neglect.

The Floral Project has grown through me following my nudges and flow to tweak it this way and that this year. And it has grown, all by itself. That’s trust.

My waistline has widened over the past 12 months (probably due to the lack of gardening) and I don’t seem to be doing much about the direction of travel. That’s neglect.

I haven’t written on Substack for a few weeks, yet I know my ‘OK-to-be-seen-in-public writing’ will return and you’ll be here when I come back. That’s trust.

My office-that-wants-to-be-an-art-studio-but-is-too-small is rammed in every corner with art supplies, which I don’t tidy so find myself reordering what I already have because I can’t find what I need. That’s neglect.

There’s no blame here - it’s interesting to me to notice - in the main because I think I’m constantly neglecting when I’m not acting when in fact, often there’s a deeper part of me that trusts.

I had it set up in my mind that more action leads to better results.

Turns out that’s not always the case.

Two questions for you:

1. Where in your life do you already trust and so are inactive more than the average bear? (Perhaps you can drop the guilt about not ‘doing enough’?)

2. Where in life are your ministrations leading to terrible results, when in fact if you backed the fuck off and gave trust the slightest chance, the thing might have a chance to thrive?

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday :)

Nic x