Lessons from My Garden

I love yards with beautifully manicured lawns and gorgeous flower gardens.  I love them... I just don't have one because, truthfully, I hate yard work. Maybe it was all those summers growing up when my sisters and I spent hours weeding flower beds before we could go play. All I know is that I would be very happy if I could afford to pay someone to come and weed my gardens. That, however, is not going to happen.

So over the past couple of weekends, I have made an effort to spend a little time getting to know the weeds that have overtaken a very large flower bed in our front yard.  And while this weeding project is still a work in progress, I have gleaned a few lessons from my garden.

First, my stiff joints and sore muscles have been reminding me that I'm not as young as I used to be.  It's been hard to acknowledge that I'm really not as strong as I once was and that there are definite limitations as to what I can and cannot do.  To admit this to myself is a bit frightening.  To admit it to others is humbling.  I realize that I don't want to move into this stage of life where I occasionally need help.  I much prefer being the one able to give help. 

When I first approached this rather overwhelming weeding project, I knew that there was no way that I would come close to getting that bed cleaned out in one morning. So I decided that I would only work for an hour and I would focus my efforts along the front edge of the flower bed.  With my gardening gloves, trowel and kneeling pad, I set to work pulling out the enemy weeds. 

I hadn't been at it for very long when I noticed that I was having a hard time sticking with my original plan.  Sure I pulled weeds from along the front of the flower bed, but there were a whole lot of them a little further back in the garden that seemed to be calling to me.  Suddenly, I realized that I was in the middle of a classic case of "scope creep."

I had never heard of "scope creep" until a couple of years ago when I started working on a few projects at work.  The idea is that when you start a project, you set the parameters and the limitations that will define what the scope of the project will include. However, if you aren't vigilant, it is very easy for other things to creep into the project that weren't part of its original scope.   It's a sneaky thing, and a sure fired way to sabotage a project.

And there I was, allowing "scope creep" to derail my plans for my morning of weeding, making my limited time less effective than it should have been. My time in the garden showed me the value of discipline and focus in accomplishing my goals.

My garden taught me one more lesson:  If you are making progress, it doesn't matter if anyone else can see it. 

Did I mention that this is a VERY large flower bed with LOTS of weeds in it?  I worked hard for the hour that I had allotted to spend in my garden.  At the end of that time, I stepped back to admire my work and it was clear to me that I had made a difference! 

However, someone driving by my yard, would only see a garden that still needed a lot of work.  There are still lots of weeds in it.  But because I knew what it looked like before I started working, I was able to see how much better it is now. 

My garden taught me not to become discouraged if others can't see the progress that I'm making in my life.  They don't see the big picture...the before and after shots.  But I know the changes that have come through hard work and that encourages me to continue working until all the weeds are gone.