Weeds Never Die

In my non-quarantine existence, I love and appreciate my garden, but rarely have time to do all that it needs. I pull the noticeable weeds, I mow over the leaves in the fall and I plant the vegetables that I like, not necessarily the ones that I need. The word "half-assed" comes to mind.

Now that I am home all the time, I have plenty of time to focus on long-neglected corners of the garden. I am pretty sure that the trash men hate all the extra waste I have generated pruning and weeding. But throwing myself into the work has helped to mitigate anxiety and make me feel useful. I've planted tons of lettuce (get ready, neighbors), measured the peas daily and beefed up the composter. I even planted some pansies, because pandemic or no, we're having flowers, dammit.

None of these tasks has brought me more pleasure than pulling the weeds. Weeds are a thing. Knowing that they are a fact of life has given me an appreciation for them and working hard to remove them has helped me to admire their tenacity.

Weeds are opportunistic. They count on you to not notice them until they poke up in between the flowers you like so much or they have wound their way half way up the tree. By then, they're pretty hard to get rid of. My removal efforts have also revealed their propensity for growing alongside the roots you want - thus making it hard to untangle the knot.

Weeds care about survival - perhaps more than any other plant. They can grow in crevices, out of rocks and in gutters. Some plants need fancy soil conditions or the right light - not weeds. They will do what it takes to stealthily and mightily thrive - in the most unfriendly conditions.

Their impressive fetes of survival are beautiful, but often weeds have a beauty that is also, well, beautiful. I love violets, clover and thistle and will let them roam freely in my yard, but other weeds can also be lovely.

The world is an unfriendly place to weeds - and right now also to humans. We feel targeted in a way that we have not before and every day feels a little threatening. I wonder if we can learn a thing or two from the weeds.

Be resourceful. What can you find around you that meets your needs? Use that. You might think your need the right pH for your soil. You don't. Make do with what you have and you might be surprised by the outcome.

Grow next to other, stronger plants. While we have to remain socially distant, we can align ourselves with strong, lovely, creative people who bring beauty and even food to us and to the world. Over here, we have eachother to keep the fear and loneliness at bay, but we've also been fortunate to hear from friends further afield who have checked in with kindness, care and help. Who are your people?

Disguise yourself as pretty - even when all your can think of is survival. I am not suggesting home makeovers, but what can we do to ourselves and our environment to add some aesthetic beauty? Bring in some flowers (or weeds) from outside. Comb your hair. Make the bed. All these small things add up to a sense of normalcy that is much needed right now.

Go about your business quietly. Weeds never complain. And they have every right because we are always trying to kill them. And yet, they keep growing. They never flaunt their survival or say "see, I told you so." They simply continue to grow.

Make no mistake, I will continue to pull weeds this week. And they will continue to grow back. The lesson here is pretty simple. The world is a fearsome place and yet, we can all still find ways to thrive.