Healthy Dose of Spring Cleaning
Spring fever is in the air, and if you are like me, that means you are eager to get out into the warm sunshine to soak up some of natures pure Vitamin D. This can often mean a bit of spring cleaning in the yard, to rake up the seasonal shedding of our dear trees, and trim down the crazy weeds that love to run rampant when we turn a blind eye.
But before you go wacking down those weeds, I beg you to take pause.
Time for Reflection & Renewal
This is a great time to practice intentionality with nature. Consider what purpose that weed might actually have in this world. Why does it exist? Have you ever stopped to consider that?
We are taught to think of anything that's in our yard, that we didn't intentionally plant or put there, as a weed. A foreign substance that does not "belong" and needs to be removed before anyone else notices that we aren't tending to our garden.
But what is a weed really?
"What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Perhaps it's time to pause and reflect on life, on our "weeds" in a way that we've never considered before. But how do we do this?
Finding New Perspective
Sometimes we need a renewed perspective - to take a step back and understand the bigger picture through a new lens. For some people and some situations, this can happen naturally. And other times we need clarity through a tool, or through someone with a different perspective and knowledge than us. This is the beauty of relationships and being a student of life - learning through others.
A Tool for Identifying Weeds
Ok, so you see a weed, and all you can see is a weed, right? Well, here's a handy tool that I use to identify what the plant actually is. It's called "seek" by iNaturalist, and it is completely free to download on your mobile device and use. I use this yearly when strolling through nature, in a botanical garden, and yes - even in my yard to identify the mystery plants that pop up in my flower beds, grass and sometimes even in the road cracks 😂
For example, I have found Common Mugwort and Plantain (Ribwort) in my yard (amongst many other things). Once you identify the plant, you can then use your super sleuth skills and hit the inter-webs to see if there is a benefit to keeping it around - be it for your vegetable garden, medicinal garden, or even other plants.
A New Appreciation Through Understanding
In doing this, you will start to understand that every plant has a purpose. Some are used to draw pests away from other plants. Some are used to lure pollinators. Some have medicinal qualities, be it internal or external natural healing, and others have some energetic effects like promoting relaxation through a beautiful scent. And how cool is it to come to an understanding, that everything - and everyone - has a purpose here on this earth. Even you.
Wait - What Just Happened?
Mmh. Profound. Yes, this most definitely started as a post about weeds, and quickly morphed into a reflection of self-worth and life purpose. I call that divine intervention. This happens to me a lot when I start writing, and as of this year, I am no longer going to attempt to control the flow of what channels all over my original ideas. My hippie soul is just going to keep pouring right on out in it's sassy little way, so buckle up! 😁
But in case you missed the innuendo...basically you, and your shadows (the false beliefs you have about yourself, or the emotions that you struggle with) do not define your self worth. They are not who you are or who you were born to be. That's just a story of perspective that you have told yourself. And it's a great time to change your story, your self-belief, by changing your perspective.
If you aren't sure where to start, ask those who surround you what they see in you, what they believe to be true about you, that may you don't recognize yourself. It could be your family, your friends, your co-workers or even strangers that have had brief moments of interaction with you. If that doesn't seem to be bringing anything to light for you, reach out to me and I'll share with you a tool that I use - because I always have a tool in my handy little mental tool box. 🔧
May this spring bring peace, love and laughter to you as you go about spring cleaning - be it in your yard, in your heart, or in your soul. 💖
Let's Chat
I'd love to hear from you - what weeds have you found in your garden? Be it actual plants, or shadows that you try to hide from others.
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