Mary Ann Hayes

They’re everywhere! In the flower beds, invading the lawn, around the trees, choking ground covers, pansies,and tulips. There’s not enough weed-be-gone in the world to eliminate the weeds in our lives.

Yesterday, with warm sun on my back and a hoe and rake in hand, I delved into the sea of weeds. As the day wore on I began to realize how never ending weeding is. There are times of reprieve; when spring ends and summer sets in. Or in the winter months – it’s not so bad. Yet, God forbid we become complacent and let our guard down for long. Ignore them, and they will march right in and take over!

It makes me think about everything else that needs weeding out; like our minds. I’m always yanking out negative thoughts and tossing them into the compost. Let them rot somewhere else. And bad habits. I’ve been investigating the art of unplugging bad habits. They’re like weeds with never ending roots. It takes a lot of time and patience to follow a bad habit from the surface, through all the dirt, all the way to the end, (or maybe to the beginning?). Yet, once arrived, the pleasure of eliminating it forever is worth the effort of getting there.

There has been a bit of relationship weeding over the past years that has left me feeling free and much happier. I’ve come to realize how true it is that some people are put in our lives for a reason or a season, and are not necessarily meant to be with us forever. Contentment comes with accepting who we are, who we need in our lives, and who we want in our lives. As we carefully weed out those who no longer build us up and lift our spirits, those who are no longer affirming, we notice how the pot holes in our road begin to repair; the bumps smooth out, and life “feels” right.

I’ve also been weeding out the cupboards and drawers in my kitchen for quite some time. Only this morning did I open the “junk” drawer to discover a bunch of new junk! Didn’t I just weed it out? I could swear it wasn’t long ago that I nearly emptied it. So there I stood, in front of the junk drawer with a trash bag in hand, weeding out the old receipts, broken pens, empty tape dispensers, CD’s never listened to, a lone feather, an incomplete deck of cards, and some pennies stuck with gum. Just a bunch of trash, just like the trash in life needing to be weeded out from our lives; physically, mentally, and spiritually.

Spring is a time to review, refresh, and renew that which works for each individual. Go about your weeding with confidence; as only you, yourself, are able to do.

Later,

Mary Ann