Weeds

I thought I'd go back to the 'garden as metaphor for life and love again'. It's a favorite topic of mine.

I had to break down and weed my garden this weekend. Not that weeding is that uncommon but I had to pull massive amounts of Arugula, which is a fancy and expensive thing. Arugula is unique and interesting but it took over. It choked out my other lettuce and caused my cauliflower to never come up. It was so impressive, sitting there like a lush lawn, that I hesitated to remove it. I knew I couldn't use that much of it myself but I thought something so valuable could be of use to others. I put out the call and got almost no takers. I decided to ignore it and let it grow. Welcome it into my space. Allow it to flourish. Ultimately a bad idea. It began to take over to such a big extent that there was no room for anything else.

Thing is, you can't blame the plant. It only wants to grow and live. It was my fault. I should have stepped in earlier and I could have saved my garden for things I loved more. Ultimately I stared at my Arugula-filled space and knew I had to do it. I gingerly stepped over the fence and began to pull. With each handful I thought to myself- "You are valuable and precious but you cannot stay. I have to make room for other things."

In the end it was painful to see all the waste but I now have a fresh row of mixed squash planted and my tomatoes now have room to grow. I still look at the drying clumps of sharp-smelling delicacy with some amount of regret, but I know I did the right thing.

I will say this though. I bless this gift from God for coming into my life. There is probably enough seed for it to come back, but I will have to establish something else in the space first, then I'll consider its return.

One last thought. I have learned to think of love and attraction in this way when it doesn't work out: Enjoy the feast. Don't curse the bounty when it is gone and you again find yourself hungry.