Aren't Gardens and Relationships the Same?

Yahoo, it's spring! As the grass began to grow, I knew it was time to connect with nature and get our garden ready for another productive year.

It was fun to work in the garden that sunny day. There was that distinctive rich, sweet smell. It was a very pleasurable experience to work the soil, plan where things would be, and to picture in my mind how it would look when we harvest and savour the fruits veggies of our labour.

After the seeds were carefully planted, there was a period of waiting with anticipation to see what would burst through the soil first - lettuce, onions, carrots, or potatoes. Each emergence was a small victorious milestone and I thought, "Yes! We're going to have a great garden." And my thoughts and visions of a worthwhile and rewarding experience continued to grow.

BUT now I've noticed some other things growing as well. Those dog-gone weeds - they are undesirable species in my garden. I don't want them! The weeds themselves aren't bad. Young dandelion and chick weed leaves make a great salad, nettle leaves are like spinach and taste great in lasagne. Dandelion blossoms make great wine. But I don't want the dang things in my garden. They don't fit my vision of a great garden.

I may choose to feel disappointed, frustrated, or angry. I may blame the weeds and the weather for spoiling my garden. I may criticize myself because I haven't taken the time to pull the weeds. I may think, "It's not my fault, Carol should be doing it." Or a worse thought, "It's easier to give up and cultivate the whole garden, weeds and all - it's done for the year. It's no use - I'm a terrible gardener."

Or I may say to myself, "I want this to be a healthy, productive garden and I am willing to put some focused effort into nurturing and caring for it. It will take effort and it may not always be fun, but the long-term result will be far better than I expected."

Whoever invented relationship-building must have modeled it after gardening - they work exactly the same way.

Ponder on this.