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.

Random Act of Kindness

I just got home from Costco where I was the recipient of a random act of kindness.  I know!  With their giant carts that take up half an aisle and their congestion-causing free sample stands, patience and kindness aren't always at the forefront of people's minds when they are shopping there.  Or maybe that statement just reveals something less than stellar about myself...hmmm.

Anyway, it's Friday, I'm tired and once again, a little bit grumpy. But after dinner I made a quick dash to Costco to pick up a couple of things that I needed for tomorrow.  Since it was still dinner time, the number of shoppers was waning so I was able to get my shopping done pretty quickly. 

As I pushed my giant cart through the parking lot, I heard another cart approaching over my left shoulder. When I stopped to load my purchases into the trunk of my car, a woman went past me, stopping at her car which was parked a couple spaces beyond me and right next to the cart corral.

I had just reached up to pull down my trunk lid when suddenly, there was the woman, reaching for my cart.  I looked at her and she said, "I'll take it.  I'm parked right next to the carts."  I'm sure that my surprise was written all over my face as I thanked her.  "You're very welcome," she said. "Have a wonderful weekend!"
With that she retraced her steps, heading back to her car and the cart corral.

I have no idea what prompted this woman to go out of her way and come back to my car just to save me a trip to return my cart.  We hadn't spoken, or even made eye contact.  But somewhere in her heart there was a spark of kindness that she heeded.  It was unexpected and certainly unmerited but so very much appreciated.  I can only hope that she felt as good on her way home from the big box store as I did!

Here Comes the Sun!

It was here.  It really was.  And I was ready with my shades! 

Now what happened to that ol' sun?

Foreign Object Sighting

A foreign object was sighted in our area today. People headed outside to get a better look at it. Folks left work early and traffic clogged the highways as residents sought out views of this unusual sighting.

No one knew how long this was going to be visible and people were giddy at the opportunity to witness this phenomenon. But after a while everyone seemed to relax a bit when it became apparent that this was not going to fade away quickly.

As a matter of fact, according to the weatherman, we can expect to see this object for several days.  We're no longer doing the rain dance because the experts have identified that foreign object as the sun that went missing months ago! 

So we'll be soaking up the rays over the next few days! And I guarantee that a lot of people are going to return to work on Monday sporting sunburns...without a single word of complaint!

Blessed by Text

Sometimes it's the smallest things that bless our lives.  I had a tough day today.  Work was frustrating.  It rained when I headed out on my walk.  The library was closed when I got there to get some new books.  I received an email from a friend with some very disappointing news. 

Nothing major.  Just a lot of little bits of yuck.  Then my phone buzzed, alerting me to the arrival of a text.  There on the glowing screen were three little words from my daughter.  They said, "Love you, momhead (her nickname for me). 

I couldn't have asked for a sweeter blessing!  God knew just what I needed and my daughter delivered it!  The two of them are quite a pair :)

Object Lessons

Lately, God has been using my commute to and from work to teach me things I need to learn, or remind me of  important things I already know but need to remember.  It's been good.

There has been a darkness in my life for the past few months, both physically and emotionally.  The weather in the Pacific Northwest has refused to let go of the gray, wet of winter.  Here we are on the first day of June and it is pouring rain outside after another day of heavy overcast skies.  After a while, it takes an emotional toll.

For the past several months, there has been a gray cloud at my work as well we wait to hear who is going to be layed off from their jobs.  We are looking at  possibly 200 people being let go.  The uncertainty and distrust is also taking an emotional toll.

So last week as I was driving to work on another rainy, gray morning, the heaviness that I felt was almost palpable. With my windshield wipers going full blast, I looked out the window at the road ahead and felt like crying.  It's been hard for so long. And I truly try to look for the positive in the middle of all of the negative.  Sometimes I'm successful.  That morning...not so much.

But as I continued down the road, I noticed that there was a lightening of the clouds ahead.  And eventually, I could even see some pale blue on the far horizon.  The weather was changing.  I was still in the rain, but the road ahead promised blue skies. 

With rain still splattering my windshield, I felt God reminding me that there will always be dark days.  It's the way life is.  But during those times, I need to keep moving.  For a while, I may have to travel through clouds with no sign of the rain letting up. Or, I might have a glimpse of brighter skies ahead while it's still raining where I am. But I need to keep going. There will come a time when the clouds are in my rear view mirror and I'm under glorious, blue skies.  Because, that too, is the way life is.

So, tonight as I type this with the rain pouring outside my window, and the threat of losing my job as real as it's ever been, I'm choosing to keep moving forward.  And when I finally chase down those blues skies, I'll appreciate them even more because of the dark journey that I've been on for so long.

A Memorial Day Thank You

I grew up in the Viet Nam war era. I remember seeing videos on the evening news of our servicemen in the jungles and rice paddies of Southeast Asia and pictures of body bags on the front page of the newspaper.

Young men's futures were determined by how high or low their draft number was.  And as in all of the wars in this nation's history, so many of those young men never came home.

Today, as I hung our American flag, I thought of those individuals who have given the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms that are mine. Their lives were cut short and their family's lives were changed forever. 

 As a citizen, I am grateful for the freedoms I enjoy that were purchased by their sacrifices. As a nation, I hope we take a moment today to remember them.