Weeding

The garden is one of the two great metaphors for humanity. The other, of course, is the river. – Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird

Gardening is a rich source of metaphors for all things human: work, growth, nurture, community, sex, war, spirit, life, death, rebirth.

Going out to weed the garden this morning, I thought of my class at the Pure Barre studio a couple of hours earlier. It was a good workout as always, but boring. Some days are like that. And, truth to tell, it’s a rare day that I actually want to go to that 5:45 a.m. class. I do it, nearly every day, because I’ve found ways to make it a solid part of my routine. I need to do the same with weeding the garden.

Everyone knows what happens when you neglect weeding for just a week: the weeds take hold, grow deep roots, and spread everywhere. The longer I avoid the job, the worse it gets, and the harder it is to force myself to do it.

That was my situation in the garden today. I needed the big tools – not only the hoe for the weeds, but the motivation tool of accountability, in the form of Bobby, the Husband, whom I had promised I would do it. Then, for an extra push, I set the workout app on my Apple watch for “functional strength training” because there’s nothing like credit to get me out the door, whether for a barre class or the garden.

I did the active hoeing for just ten minutes and decided that was enough for today. I spent the next half-hour tugging out the loosened weeds and pulling up the more shallow-rooted ones. It was easier work, inviting contemplation.

Applying the garden metaphor again to my strength training, even though it’s hard to get started in that early-morning class, on most days I do wake up and get interested in the work once it starts. And at the end, if I’ve done my training honestly, I’ll have some pleasant muscle soreness later, just enough to remind me that these daily workouts are worth the unpleasant parts.

In the garden, occasional weeding has little effect on the weeds. Consistent, daily weeding gives the cultivated plants the space they need to grow, and the whole garden gradually becomes a healthy, thriving environment.

Photo: After today's weeding. Lots more to do tomorrow.