“I wish there were no weeds in our garden!”
But as I plucked the offending plants, I realized that my weed-free fantasy would not be a good thing.
Without weeds, how easily gardeners could become complacent, accepting the bounty and beauty without a need to fuss over and, most of all, to protect. Weeds require us to be alert, attentive, contemplative, aware on behalf of our garden.
Without weeds, we have no reminder that change is inevitable. There is no “set it and forget it” in a garden, because Mother Nature always has her own plans for any available space, with little concern for our carefully crafted plots.
There are weeds in our gardens, weeds in our relationships, weeds in our hearts. No weeds? No need for vigilance against the initially subtle shifts that tell us our plans or intentions are not even fully realized, but always, simply a work in progress.
“Criticizing another’s garden doesn’t keep the weeds out of your own.”
(author unknown)