Spring is a ridiculous miracle every single time, all that ice and snow and freezing cold, and then one day it starts to all feel differently. Last weekend it was so warm that I was in the yard with short sleeves and marvelling at what is already poking through the earth – irises, lilies, all kinds of grasses and, of course, the hardiest plants in my yard, the ones I call weeds.
A weed by definition is a plant that is where I do not want it. Golden rod is a native plant and provides important bee food, but left unchecked would take over my entire yard. Thistles are revered in Scotland, but at my place I have special gloves for pulling them out by the dozen.
The stuff that makes weeds grow all over the place is their strength, their adaptability to different challenges, their hardiness in all kinds of weather. Countless times I have bought something beautiful from the greenhouse and it did not make it through the first winter. Weeds, however, are all about tenacity, strength, resilience and the ability to just keep blooming no matter how many times they are pulled out or mowed.
So while my habits in the garden will still be to control the spread, let’s take a moment to think about this. The survivors and thrivers in this world take no notice of who is trying to mow them down. Pay no mind to the discouragers, the critics, the negative, the problem finders. What can we learn from a weed is keep on growing, keep on finding a way to expand into your potential, keep on blooming – and make the space you are in that much fuller of life and strength.
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