Lessons learnt weeding...

Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net/domdeen

A huge storm came through late on Christmas day and gave my garden a really good soak. The next morning, I took the opportunity to mulch the fig tree and pull some weeds. It was great! The soaking meant that the ground was really soft and the weeds come out effortlessly.

The following morning, I was out in the garden again. Putting on my garden gloves, I was thinking about how appropriate it is to be weeding at this time of the year, clearing out the old just before the New Year.



As I started weeding, I noticed how much easier it had been when I was weeding yesterday. The sun had started to dry the ground out and some of the weeds were starting to break as I pulled on them. I kept working and moved around the house to find the shadier spots that were still very easy to work with. So here are a few lessons I learnt from weeding:

1. Recognise opportunities. Often when things happen, we may not see them as an opportunity. With the dry weather, I'd been struggling with clearing the weeds. The difficulties I had previously helped me to recognise a good opportunity when it came along.

2. Be focussed. During the storm, my car suffered hail damage and had I chosen to focus on that, I would not have seen the opportunity to clear the garden when the ground was soft.

3. Act as soon as possible. When an opportunity presents itself, act as soon as possible. If you procrastinate, conditions may change and it may become more difficult to achieve the same results.

4. Be flexible & tenacious. As conditions change, they may not change all at once. Be on the lookout, for opportunities may exist just round the corner. Very often success lies just beyond and giving up at the first sign of defeat we may miss the opportunity to achieve our goals.

5. Right place, right time. Sometimes, it's just being about being at the right place at the right time. Had I been away from home, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to weed while the ground was soft.

6. Be kind to yourself. Finally, if you do miss the opportunity, remember that it will come again. By all means, acknowledge that you've missed the opportunity and get ready to act quickly as soon as it rains again.

What lessons have you learnt from your garden recently?