Weeds In My Garden

- Elda-Rosa Coulthrust, MA, LCMHC, LCAS, CCS

Weeds in my garden aren't that bad….

I heard a message recently that was very anti-weeds. My mind immediately created a visual schema of dandelions. Brilliant, beautiful yellow pops sprinkled throughout fields - and I thought, "...hey, I don't dislike all weeds.". Some of what people consider to be pesky weeds are actually beautiful.

They are resilient and serve a good purpose.

Kind of like life. We may want to experience a life free what we perceive as pesky problems - but, could we initially see a problem, hurdle or something that draws our attention to it, for a positive purpose?

I recall a time when I was car-less and normalized my day by taking the train - initially I identified this condition as a problem. However, taking that train on that particular day landed me on a path to meet someone from another country, who struck up the most interesting conversation about South Africa, art, and the best tucked away surfing spots in the world! So, what I initially percieved as a problem, that "weed", turned out to be an insightful and fun ride!

So, my thought is this - you can CHOOSE to see dandelions as inconveniences, problems, etc

., and spray toxic chemicals all around - or maybe pluck them out by the root to keep your lawn evenly green - OR you can let some of them grow, and make tea or wait until they have shed their beautifully rich yellow petals and blow their seeds out into the world as colorful wishes.

Who wants a plain green boring lawn anyway? I kind of like yellow pops of dandelions! And now I know of the most perfect place to paddleboard when I am in Santa Barbara. Weeds in my garden, aren't that bad.