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" You cannot travel the path until you have become the path itself " - A Buddhist Saying

8/20/2015 Comments

Growing benevolence in the frontyard

"I wish my front yard was all concrete." 

I must admit there have been days when I have wished, wondered or said aloud such a dreary thought. It's usually during Spring or early Summer. It's when those wonderful plants magically start growing. No, not the ones that we have planted but the ones that find their way into our yard without permission. The wanderers, the uninvited guests - the plants that we have not found a use for. Yet. Some of us like to call them by their generic pedigree - WEEDS. 

As I was  "de-weeding" my yard last week I contemplated such a scenario again. However the harder I tried to get them out of my yard, the more my outlook towards them changed. I got wonder struck by their resilience, their carefree nature and even respect of their obstinacy. Their will to grow and never give up attitude is clearly unsurpassed! I realized I had started to care about them while I  (ironically) pulled them out of their miserable existence. It's amazing how quickly they can grow without any tending or water, let alone fertilizer or plant food.  The perennials that I nursed religiously over the summer were getting beaten by nature and pests. Not these hardy, wild plants though. They were growing thick and fast and if I let them - they would multiply till the cows came home! I begrudgingly annihilated them and turned inwards. I wondered what would happen if I had let them grow. My first reaction was I might get cited by my HOA (House Owners Association). But what if I ignored all of those pesky notices? What if I let the weeds grow without hindrance? I started to wonder - what would the people in my community think about us, the owners? How would commuters and people that know nothing about us, react when they drive or walk by see our disheveled facade? A barrage of possibilities overflowed my mind. 
  • Would they be judgmental about the foliage and brand the owners as lazy and negligent?
  • Or realize that the owner's were busy and let it pass, as a temporary overlook perhaps? 
  • A few philosophical ones might take the growth as an indication of the richness of the soil. Surely a nutrient filled soil does not discriminate between the planted and the uninvited. Or does it?
  • Other's might consider it as a reflection of the owner's well being. The once loving relationship between the owner's might be falling apart. Is the yard a reflection of the gardener's state of mind?
  • Some might wonder if everything was alright with the landlords. Maybe the house had been deserted by its owners and now  in possession of the Bank?
  • Would some find the purple flowers that weeds produced as beautiful gifts of nature?
  • Would anyone take it as a sign of the owner's benevolence who might consider all growth as equal. Whether seeded by self or planted by nature itself....
I slowly submerged myself into the hot tub to relieve my aching joints and wondered some more...


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