Shortly before we married, my husband and I looked for property to buy. We found an affordable five acre parcel a short way out of town. It was a piece of level ground, surrounded by forest and located off a dusty county road. We agreed that it was just what we wanted and purchased the land.

Owning

This first piece of property that my husband and I owned was lovely. A creek bordered one side and in the spring, sweet scents of blooming wild flowers and bushes permeated the air. Our view of the mountains was unobstructed and the only sound at night were howling coyotes.  

As proud property owners we invested our money, time and energy to improve our land. 

First, we built our house, then we put in a well. Next we tilled a garden, built a chicken shed and bought chickens. Over time we added a wood shed, a garage, electricity, and a telephone. Then, as our family grew, we built an addition onto our house. 

Our hard work turned the raw, undeveloped land into a well run homestead. But as any homeowner knows, continued upkeep is necessary. Our homes need careful attention, continued maintenance and constant tending in order to remain well functioning.  

Though some of us may not own our own plot of land, we all have what author Caroline Leaf terms as “neural real estate.” Our brains as well as our thoughts, belong to us. As we pay careful attention and tend to our neural real estate we produce a well functioning style of thinking.  

Though my husband and I had to hack away buck brush with axes that grew profusely on our property, there is no need to take an ax to menacing thoughts inside our heads. Rather, reading and ruminating on the truth of God is sufficient to replace thoughts that rob us of peace. 

 

Every spring, the driveway to our house turned into a muddy, mucky, impassable mess. To change this, we hired a professional with the equipment and the knowledge to rebuild our road. Sometimes, we need professional help as well, to rebuild areas in our brain that were weakened by abuse or misuse.

Then there are those unexpected surprises that arise. We came home one winter day to a house without a chimney. When a load of snow fell from the roof, it took our chimney with it. Consequently, for a few days we lived in discomfort and cold until it could be properly repaired. 

Sometimes unexpected surprises in life arise as well; a divorce, death, or a severed friendship. We will definitely feel some discomfort, but there is no need to abandon the good neural property we’ve already worked hard to establish.

Why bother investing in neural real estate? We may not own our own home, but we do own our own thoughts and brains. Carefully tending to them produces true riches in our inner world.