Get Rid of the Weeds

We're like a gardener with a hose and our attention is water - we can water flowers or we can water weeds. -Josh Radnor

I often find lessons from nature that apply to everyday life. A few weeks ago I spent a few weeks at my elderly mother's house. She needed a few jobs done in her yard. She had some little trees sprouting up where they shouldn't be. And her garden was completely overcome by weeds and quickly growing out of control. This is the garden my parents had when I was a little girl. My father passed away years ago and my mother has given up on growing anything in this garden. Her hope at this point is to keep the weeds from overtaking her yard. As I took the tools to the weeds and began chopping things down, I discovered 3 pink flowers in the middle of it all. I couldn't even see them when I had started. All you could see were the unwanted weeds everywhere. But there they were, pretty, strong and growing in the midst of it all.

Those pink flowers remind me of the clutter in our homes. Many of us have a candle holder, or photo frame or maybe a small vase that makes us smile when we see it. Perhaps it sits on the kitchen counter or on a table near the front door. When we allow the unwanted stuff to overcome, that object no longer brings us joy from its beauty. If it is in the kitchen it may be overcome by some dishes, kitchen towels, children's artwork that they brought us while we were cooking, caddies filled with utensils, appliances, the knife block, the list goes on and on. If the object resides by the front door, it may be covered by mail, the newspaper, backpacks, purses, gloves, keys, library books, again the list goes on and on. It is only when we declutter the areas in our home of the unwanted things (weeds) that we begin to see and enjoy the beauty in what is left around us. Being minimalist doesn't mean I don't find beauty in objects. Being a minimalist means I only keep objects that are useful or have beauty.

Those pink flowers also remind me of the clutter in my schedule. I do so many things each day that have nothing to do with the priorities in my life. Whether it be clicking articles while looking up info on the internet, social media, 15 minutes of that cooking show, 20 minutes of the weather channel. Too many unwanted items in our schedule prevent us from seeing the beauty in our lives. Watching how an older brother helps a younger brother with homework, seeing an older sister share her ice cream, having time to listen to that knock- knock joke, which brings the privilege of hearing all that laughter, having the time to read the Bible passage for today. At the end of the day I can say I didn't have enough time for the things I wanted to do or I can declutter my day from the weeds that prevent me from living the life I want to live.

Look around your home and schedule this week. See if you find any weeds. Then set aside some time to spend getting rid of the weeds, so you can enjoy the flowers all the more.