Field of possibilities. “The Gardener’s Way.” A metaphor of incredible beauty, suitable both for therapeutic relationships, and in communication and raising children, and in terms of self-development, was presented to students by Elena Samoilovna Slepovich, an amazing researcher in the field of special psychology (the largest in Belarus and one of the most skilled in the post-Soviet space), whose works have even been translated into Japanese and are recognized by the world community. Elena Samoilovna recounted one moment from a conversation with her nephew, which touched me to the depths of my soul as a listener, caused me to think about the options for my own attitude to life, about cases from professional practice and friendly communication when similar words, if I remembered them, could change relationships with a client or become an excellent offer of support without shifting responsibility to a friend. I present this metaphor in the form in which I managed to write it down, supplementing with my own reflections: “Imagine that your life is like a field in which there can be good, beautiful plants, So are weeds. So, the more you plant and grow good plants, the less space there will be for bad ones. You can, of course, focus on eradicating weeds, loosening the soil, weeding, but I suggest forgetting about the weeds, just not giving them any time. attention, but get carried away by the development of those beginnings that promise to grow into a magical garden. Let's expand the field of advantages - and with due attention and care, the more magnificently they bloom, the more of them there are, the less room there will be for shortcomings." This image of the field, in which you can grow a garden-vegetable garden of virtues, struck me with its brevity, harmony and liveliness. According to Elena Samoilovna, her nephew, who was asked to forget about the fight against shortcomings and start developing his own strengths, rejoiced because he finally heard that it is POSSIBLE to stop challenging, forcing oneself, destroying, prohibiting, punishing, overpowering, living in a state of battle with yourself - and you CAN go the other way, the way of CREATION, the way of self-love, the way of creative work and care. And it’s true, it’s common for many, including me, to live in a struggle - a struggle with laziness, with depression, with bad moods, with bad habits, with forbidden desires, with their own vices and weaknesses, illnesses and sorrows, problems. After Elena Samoilovna’s words, I imagined that my life, in those moments when the struggle with shortcomings prevails in it, is similar to the life of a careless gardener who has completely forgotten about seeds and sprouts and is exclusively busy destroying dandelions, nettles, woodlice, and ivy. The life of such a gardener is spent in work, but destructive work: he only cleans his field. And there is a risk of spending the entire earthly term on this matter. Of course, the illusion that flowers, shrubs and trees will grow better in a completely clean, loosened field is alluring, but is it true that without all this work you can’t grow a garden? I think it is possible to grow a garden without general cleaning, starting small, starting with caring for the sprouts that have already sprouted, the crops. Moreover, the path of a careless gardener threatens with the destruction of forgotten virtues, left “without watering or care.” But his life will be full of thorns, dirt, fatigue and anger. Ask such a gardener, who has been loosening the field all his life, what he remembers - and it will be the hooked roots of the weeds, the effort spent on them, earth clods, worms, bruised hands and other unpleasant details. But in the end - a bare plot of black soil, and that’s all. The idea of ​​this frightened me with its meaninglessness and gloom. What will the gardener who cultivated virtues remember? Of course, in his life there will be moments when it is necessary to clear the roots of good plants from weeds, and worms, and soil, and itchy hands, but in addition there will be trunks of fruit-bearing trees, fragrant flowering in the spring, and the collection of a bright and juicy harvest. And a lot of pleasure from my life. And a wonderful garden at the end, even if it doesn’t cover the entire field, even if it doesn’t.