This Year, Feed Your Bunnies

by Jodie Cook, ASLA, PLA, SITES AP

The other week, I had a dream that left me thinking long after I awoke.

In this dream, I was house-sitting for a friend who owned a small zoo of pets—dogs, cats, fish, houseplants. Every day, I dutifully fed, watered, and cared for them. By the end of the week, I was feeling pretty pleased with myself. The dogs wagged their tails, the cats purred contentedly, and the fish glided effortlessly through the tank.

But something felt off. A nagging thought tugged at the back of my mind, but I brushed it aside. I was handling everything in front of me, wasn’t I?

Then my daughter stopped by and casually asked, “What about the bunnies?”

The bunnies?!

I froze, suddenly remembering the two rabbits I’d completely forgotten about. They were in cages in the basement. I sprinted downstairs, heart pounding, only to find them looking…not great. In a panic, my daughter and I scrambled to gather food and water for the bunnies.

Thankfully, they made it—but just barely.

When I woke up, the meaning behind the dream came into focus. The bunnies weren’t just bunnies, they were a metaphor for my sidelined projects, the things I kept putting off.

Most of us procrastinate at some point, don’t we? Maybe we avoid certain tasks because they’re overwhelming, complex, or outside our comfort zone. Or perhaps we get buried under immediately urgent demands of client deadlines, administrative duties, or day-to- day site challenges that arise unexpectedly. The visionary projects—the ones that could spark innovation or move us in a new direction—often fall to the bottom of the list because they don’t compete for attention like the “louder” tasks in front of us. They sit there quietly, waiting. And if we’re not careful, those opportunities to create something extraordinary could quietly slip away.

In my dream, the bunnies represented two big projects I was genuinely excited about—new initiatives with lots of moving parts. I kept telling myself I’d dive into them once I had all the pieces mentally figured out. But in reality, I was procrastinating.

The dream was a wake-up call.

Bunnies don’t bark, meow, growl or roar; they don’t chase you around demanding your attention. They don’t call or send emails. They simply wait. But wait too long, and they’ll expire.

This year, I’ve resolved to regularly feed my bunnies. As a reminder, I wrote it in big letters on my office whiteboard, and I’ve already begun. My two bunnies have now been nourished, and we’re moving forward, more inspired than ever.

So, as you step into this new year, take a moment to ask yourself: What are your bunnies?

What quiet, meaningful goals have been waiting for your attention?

This year…feed your bunnies. They’re ready and waiting for you.

Jodie Cook, ASLA, PLA, SITES AP, is President of Jodie Cook Design in Orange County, California. In addition to landscape architecture, Sustainable SITES consulting, and program management, Jodie teaches The Sustainable Landscape and Native Garden Design at Saddleback College. Her education-based turf removal incentive program, NatureScape, was featured in the ASLA’s Smart Policies for Climate Change exhibition. She is certified in watershed-wise landscape design (WWLP), a Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper (QWEL), ReScape and USGBC Wildfire Defense and Resilient/Regenerative Firescaping certified. Jodie is also on the leadership team for ASLA's Planting Design Professional Practice Network (PPN).