The Joy of Weeding

Last week I began the process of readying the garden bed for this year’s veggies. There’s something so satisfying about pulling weeds and refreshing a garden plot.

When my next younger sister and I were much younger, we got in some big trouble. (Read about it here)

Weeding all the gardens in the yard for the rest of the summer was one of our punishments. Back then, I hated getting stuck with that job. The only job worse than weeding was laundry (think clothes, sheets, towels, etc… for eight!).

Back then it was just what it was meant to be: a punishment. I would drag my feet getting out there.

I would complain about it to anyone who would listen: my sister who shared the punishment with me, the weeds, the birds, the squirrels…

It took years before I learned to love digging amongst the flowers, to enjoy the physicality of popping a weed out of the ground, before I learned to appreciate the quiet time to reflect on my life and enjoy the beauty of nature.

It’s just weeding a garden, but it can be so much more. It can be an intimate experience with nature, a way to connect with the earth and become a part of it.

And it’s a perfect time to converse with your Maker.

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As I weeded the left hand side of the bed (above), I discovered a huge clump of oregano growing smack dab in the middle of the bed. What an awesome surprise.

As I began weeding the other side, I saw how huge the clumps of blue-eyed grass had become. Years ago I had found the blue-eyed grass growing on an old field road and dug some up and brought it home.

It was so beautiful, the flowers so tiny and delicate, and I’d never seen anything like it before.

Last year, half of my garden space was transplanted with wildflowers from the old, overgrown wildflower garden that my husband wanted to till under. He wanted to give the garden a fresh start.

I was ok with the fresh start and all, but not willing to part with the scraps of plants that had survived the years and the weeds and the droughts.

As it looks right now, they’ll probably spend another season bunking with the tomatoes and okra. But the wonderful thing is — they’re still here.

Weeding allowed me to discover that. They survived the transplant and they’re actually thriving.

When you go to pulling up weeds, you often get to discover so many things you hadn’t thought about in a long time. Things you thought might not have survived the weeds and the droughts and the years.

Imagine digging through the elements of your life trying to weed out the bad habits and experiences that get in the way of your joy and happiness.

As you examine each thing you find, among the things that need tossing you also find treasures that bring you great amounts of joy.

Things that remind you that life is so precious.

Things that speak tenderly to your heart.

Things that show you what a gift life is and remind you that love and compassion and happiness are indeed a choice.

Weeding is choosing to find the beauty amidst the disillusionment that often comes with being human, choosing not to let the ugliness in the world cover up the beauty that can be found if you look for it.

Today, the first daisies bloomed.

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