Just spent a while in the garden, and did some weeding. Like baking bread, I find it to be very satisfying! Unlike office work where there is nothing tangible to show for a day’s hard work, weeding is rewarding and the results are clear – a beautiful garden to be enjoyed!
Weeding can also be very conducive to various contemplative processes. It is easy to appreciate the strength and vigor of weeds that thrive without any care in the world. In fact, they often grow faster than the plants and flowers that we grow in the garden. Rather than being annoyed, I’ve come to appreciate weeds for their adaptable nature instead of what most may see as an undesirable or troublesome plant. If only we could adapt to all of the situations we face, we would prosper like them. I have also learnt to appreciate the beauty of some weeds. What are just weeds for some, may be a delight for others. Guests are often amazed when they find out that some of the beautiful plants growing in the garden are actually weeds! After all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Aside from the free and natural exercise that weeding provides (it is much nicer than hitting the gym), I have learnt to use weeding as a form of channelling my thoughts and meditating. Each weed represents a characteristic I want to overcome…so I weed out my impatience, weed out my worries and fears, and all the little things I want to improve on. I then think of sowing the seeds of what I want and nurturing them like I would the flowers as I patiently wait for them to blossom and come into fruition.
I believe strongly in the power of visualizing what you want. If you can do so strongly enough, I believe that eventually your wants will materialize. Just as I once dreamed of this place with the mountains coming down to the sea. When we first came here, I knew this was it, because this is exactly what I had once dreamt of.
I love my walks in the garden. Meanwhile, I have learned that taking a walk and doing some weeding opens up space, allowing me to think, and come up with solutions and ideas. I thoroughly enjoy the calming and creative experience. Whenever I feel stuck, I go for a walk and gain faith. Just thinking about what the garden looked like when we came here 18 years ago and seeing how far it has come today helps me appreciate the good things in life. I am confident that just as we have made this garden grow, we will come to realize all our other dreams as well. We just have to have faith and work at it every day – so every day I weed a little patch and keep faith.
