Sunday, April 22, 2012

Up-rooting Weeds

Today, on a beautiful spring Sunday, my husband and I decided to attack our much neglected flower beds. If you know me then you know that I'm not a fan of yard work. It really is hard work, and I would much rather scrub a toilet than do yard work. (You can read about my experience raking leaves Here.) Today, we focused on the weeds.  As a new homeowner, I've learned today that you don't want to neglect your weeds for too long, since you may end up with unwanted trees in your yard. That's right, trees.

As my husband cut the grass in the front yard, I decided to walk around our back yard and pull up some of these mini plants that were growing sporadically in our yard. To my surprise, it was the beginnings of an oak tree. The tiny oak trees were about 4-5 inches tall and once I pulled out the tree it's roots were coming out of an acorn. Our backyard neighbors have an oak tree that not only shades our back yard but also drops it's acorns. I was shocked that we also found a few oak trees in our front flower bed growing amongst our bushes - these were hidden very well.

After yanking out unwanted weeds and trees for three hours, I'm very pleased at the look of our yards. Despite the back pain, it was well worth it. We even got a compliment from a neighbor on their way out. :) I'm happy that the plants that we want will now have the soil all to themselves! At least for now... Maybe our tomato and bell pepper plants might start to flower. *fingers crossed*

During this time, I couldn't help but reflect on my life. Wikipedia defines a weed as, "a plant that is considered by the user of the term to be a nuisance...Generally, a weed is a plant in an undesired place." What "weeds" have I neglected in my life and let it start to take root? Bad attitude, negativity, gossip, selfishness, language, etc. Maybe it's time to start uprooting these characteristics so that I can make room for characteristics that are pleasant and desired.

Peace, Love, Weedless,
-Miche