Weeding as a Way of Life

Today I had the good fortune to be outdoors for a while, weeding and surveying my little domain. The rosemary really is a monster that looks like it wants to take over the patio. (I joke that it is the rosemary that is trying to take over the county.)The potted plants were looking pretty forlorn and in need of water. I hauled two plastic jugs out and watered them.

Weeding is like so many of the other mundane jobs of life. A few minutes here, a few minutes there. You can see were you have been and what you have accomplished. Housework is like that, especially washing dishes and folding laundry.

Weeding as a way of life has other analogies though. Routing out the clutter in our lives, physically and mentally is like weeding. A little here, a little there and space is cleared: we can see where we have been.

Habits can be another form of weed, especially when they are the old Catholic venial sins. Pulling them up one at a time can make for a fresh start. Like weeds, like clutter they will keep creeping back and we will have to pull them again.

Tomorrow there will be a few new weeds and more plants to water. If I'm really energetic I'll clip a little rosemary from the bottom where it is shaggy and littered with leaves and drop it into the toter. If not, another day. The garden is patient and will grow whether I tend it or not, as long as there is sufficient water.

Typos are like weeds too, so that makes proofreading another form of weeding. I am grateful that I can come back and edit--but wish I'd just remember to preview first before this goes out to the world!