Pulling the Weeds Gently
This week I'm reflecting on all that my garden is teaching me. Living in a single-family home with a yard I can truly tend is still relatively new, so forgive my excitement about gardening. There is something deeply grounding—even spiritual—about being connected to the earth in this way. I've heard people talk about it for years. Now I finally get to experience it for myself.
I mentioned in yesterday's blog that I spent an hour weeding my Japanese garden this weekend. Weeding is a curious thing because weeds are simply "unwanted" plants—living members of the natural world, each with a role to play.
Removing these sometimes unwanted, sometimes harmful plants is simply part of tending something alive so it can flourish.
Gardens require consistent, ongoing care.
Not perfection.
Just like us.
Weeds: Things That Compete With Our Wellbeing
Habits that no longer serve may look like: old habits, clutter, harsh self-talk, unnecessary commitments, resentment, comparison, constant noise.
Every plant serves a purpose. Take dandelions, for example. They are one of the earliest food sources for bees and other pollinators, their deep taproots help loosen compacted soil, and nearly every part of the plant is edible and medicinal. They are remarkable plants.
They simply may not belong in every garden.
Our habits are much the same.
Many of the behaviors we carry through life once served an important purpose. They helped us survive difficult seasons, protected us from pain, or simply got us through the day. But when that season has passed, those same habits can quietly become the weeds in our own landscape.
Because they have been with us for so long, we often stop noticing them.
As our self-awareness grows, we begin to recognize which patterns are nourishing us and which are competing for the light.
This work isn't about criticizing ourselves. It's about caring for ourselves.
One of the greatest gifts we can offer ourselves during times of growth is gentleness. Real change rarely happens through shame or force. It happens through curiosity, compassion, and the quiet willingness to ask, Does this still belong in my life?
We do not have to tear apart our lives in order to improve them. Sometimes change begins simply by noticing one thing that is taking up space and deciding it no longer belongs there. Some patterns once protected us. Some commitments once made perfect sense.
We can thank them for the role they played and release them without guilt or shame.
Practice: Clear One Small Space
Clearing clutter to create space can be physical, mental, emotional, spiritual or just down right practical.
Today, choose one thing that is crowding your life.
Perhaps it is:
one obligation
one drawer
one draining habit
one unhelpful thought
one hour of screen time
one conversation you've been avoiding
You don't have to clear the whole garden.
Just make a little more room for something better to grow.
Carrying the Light Forward
Growth isn't only about planting something new. Sometimes it begins by gently making room for what has been waiting to flourish all along.
The work of tending our lives is never finished, but it doesn't have to be overwhelming. One thoughtful choice, one small release, one cleared corner at a time, we create the conditions for peace, joy, and purpose to take root.
After all...
We do not clear the weeds because we hate the garden.
We clear them because we love what is trying to grow.