By mid-summer, reality has usually replaced our springtime plans.

Some plants thrive. Some struggle. The weeds, of course, seem to be doing wonderfully.

People who stutter often make the same mistake gardeners eventually stop making. We expect perfection. We think, I shouldn’t block. Conversations should go smoothly.

But reality never promised either.

REBT reminds us that there’s a world of difference between a preference and a demand. I’d prefer not to stutter. That’s reasonable. Demanding that I never stutter only guarantees frustration.

Mid-summer is a good time to remember that growth doesn’t require perfect conditions.

Neither does living.

Speak, even if you stutter.

Pull a few weeds—both in the garden and in your thinking—and keep going.