Pulling Weeds

Spring is definitely (and finally!) in the air here in West Michigan.  The temperature today is supposed to hit 60 and all of the snow is finally gone - yeah!!  Now that the snow is gone, I can finally see my little perennial garden planted by the patio of our condo.  No surprise, there are some weeds that need attention.  Because I think that weeding has some great applications to our weight loss journey, I decided to re-run a blog I originally posted the summer of 2007, shortly after starting on Take Shape for Life/Medifast.  I hope it will be encouraging to you!

"I just came inside after spending almost an hour weeding my perennial garden.  I haven't weeded in a month; we were on vacation for two weeks, and the last two weeks have either been too hot and humid, or it's rained.  So today was my day!  As I surveyed the flower bed before starting my work, all I could think was, "where on earth did all of these weeds come from?"  We live in a condo association and all of the grounds are very well maintained, with nary a weed to be found.  My flowers are planted in the barked area next to our house, just off from our walk-out lower level, so the amount and variety of weeds amazed me.

I know I have NEVER planted a weed, yet they've grown in abundance in every garden I've ever had, vegetable and flower.  They take advantage of every open spot of soil, of every inattentive moment.  If left to grow unchecked, they will eventually overwhelm my garden, choking out the plants I've so carefully selected and tended.

Kind of like life, and definitely like my life on Take Shape for Life/Medifast.  I have carefully selected and am trying to nurture new, good habits, which I so want to see flourish into a beautiful garden in my life.  Right now these habits are rather tender and vulnerable, and they can easily be choked out by the weeds in my life if I'm not careful.  Weeds like impatience, comparison, frustration, discouragement, unrealistic expectations, busyness, and rationalization keep popping up and must be immediately pulled and thrown into the trash heap.  If I don't, I know from past experience (and much gardening) that they will eventually overwhelm the good habits.  The good habits will either die off completely, or they will be left in a weakened state and never reach their full potential.

Bad habits and bad thought patterns are not intentionally sown, but they are very opportunistic and can take root before we've even realized it.  The challenge is to catch them right away - they are much easier to pull out by their roots when young, and can be almost impossible to eradicate if allowed to mature.  Mature weeds have roots that snake deep underground and entangle themselves with the roots of the flowers, making it difficult to pull them out without damaging the flowers.

I know that, in time, the perennials (and the good habits) will grow and fill most of the space, making it more and more difficult for weeds to take root.  Until that time, I need to be diligent in checking for weeds, in my garden and in my life.  My reward?  A lovely garden - eventually!"

As I re-read this blog, first written almost three years ago, I couldn't help but smile as I realized that good habits ARE finally flourishing in my little garden.  Weeding certainly continues, but I'm trying to be diligent to pull out the weeds before they take root.  Consistency is definitely the key to keeping the weeding easy :-).

Anybody want to join me in doing a little weeding today?  The choice is yours - choose wisely :-)