“All gardeners live in beautiful places because they make them so.”
– Joseph Joubert
Some days it feels like weeds are overtaking my life. Those dreary March and April days spent looking out my window made me ache to smush my hands in the dirt, prune back the overgrown branches, and clear out winter’s accumulated debris. It’s not very beautiful out there.
Now that the sun is shining and I’ve had a few solid weekends in the garden, I’m questioning my eagerness. Everywhere I go, I encounter weeds. The unwanted stuff, the clutter, the dead relationships and outgrown friendships bog up my mind and consume my free space. It’s not very beautiful in here.
They creep up next to the stepping stone, through the sprinkler heads, and crowd my lavender bushes. They sneak next to the day lilies, snake their way up the Japanese maple’s tender stems, and root themselves firmly and cleverly amidst the heirloom roses. They consume my free time, crowd my in box and rest on empty spaces.
Depending on my mood, I pull, or dig, or bust out the sprays when I just can’t get a handle on them. Some days I carefully unwind them, desperate to leave the host unharmed. Other days, lack of patience gets the best of me, and I curse and yank, decimating both simultaneously.
As I’m down on my knees, I occasionally upend an earthworm and send him wiggling back into the soil, or startle a mourning dove feasting on scattered seed. Sometimes I unearth a new bloom, resilient from the winter’s frost. Or an abandoned baseball, leather long gone. Sometimes I close my eyes and breathe in and out, searching for an answer.
Plowing through the weeds gives me time to think, to meditate, to wonder about what might emerge next. I strategize, sensitize, and surrender to what is yet to come. Sometimes I just sink.
Pushing through winter’s debris to uncover, to create some breathing room, I sense an opening, a space for clarity. I see progress, I sense some control. I inhale, exhale, and look around me. Blooms, new growth, and possibility are in sight.
Just for today, a little bit of beauty, made by me.
Jennifer Wolfe
Jennifer Wolfe, a writer-teacher-mom, is dedicated to finding the extraordinary in the ordinary moments of life by thinking deeply, loving fiercely, and teaching audaciously. Jennifer is a Google Certified Educator, Hyperdoc fanatic, and a voracious reader. Read her stories on her blog, mamawolfe, and grab free copies of her teaching and parenting resources.
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Comments: 16
brenda
May 13, 2012You could be talking about your garden our your soul…I related to it as writer battling doubt because I’d never go into the garden and dig ( not my thing). 🙂
Jennifer Wolfe
May 14, 2012Brenda, you’re right…it could be about lots of things. Me-digging and creating beauty outside is my thing.
Nikky44
May 12, 2012I have heard so many people say that it is the best therapy ever!! I never tried, but I guess I must try!
Jennifer Wolfe
May 14, 2012Oh Nikky, you really should try it! It works!
My Inner Chick
May 10, 2012Mama,
I love how you can take gardening & weeding and transform it in “”Real Life.”” Xx
Jennifer Wolfe
May 11, 2012Chick, thanks for always figuring me out!
Dee
May 10, 2012Dear Jennifer, . . . such a philosophical posting. A metaphor truly. Thank you for getting me thinking about the “weeds” in many aspects of my life.
And please know that I’m going to try to get back into a daily reading of postings. This moving business + computer problems have left me with little time. But I’m getting back on the horse. (To use another piece of figurative language!)
Peace.
Jennifer Wolfe
May 11, 2012Hi Dee, so glad to hear from you! I know that all this change you’re going through is going to result in some great posts in the near future! Take care….
Pamela
May 10, 2012Very nice post, I am about to do some weeding, once I am done with my computer time!!
Jennifer Wolfe
May 11, 2012Pamela, I know you must have had a great day!
Kristina
May 10, 2012Beautiful post!
Jennifer Wolfe
May 11, 2012Thanks, Kristina. I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Michelle G
May 10, 2012I’ve been doing a little “weeding” this year, but I’m afraid there are a lot back now. I will literally be pulling weeds sometime today hopefully. It’s pretty nice out here. Hope you have a better day today!
Jennifer Wolfe
May 11, 2012Thanks, Michelle. Today was a better day…and I treated myself to three gorgeous rose colored hydrangeas on the way home from work!
Val @ Mental Chew
May 10, 2012I just posted a meme that said something like ” Who needs therapy when you can garden? ” The process of gardening is so therapeutic. Removing the old, dead parts and the invasive parts that crowd growth to allow room for something new that nourishes us physically or through it’s aesthetics. Yup, I am addicted to getting dirt under my nails.
Jennifer Wolfe
May 11, 2012So true, Val, so true. Exactly why I never get manicures!