As I mentioned in my last post (or rather obsessed over), I’ve started the work of cleaning out my least favorite garden bed in the hopes of restoring some of its beauty. Well, as is often the case when I start a cleanup project, it expands in unexpected ways.
As I started to pull Creeping Charlie from my garden, I took a look around and realized that this wasn’t a localized problem. The Creeping Charlie was everywhere in my yard. If you don’t know, Creeping Charlie is an invasive ground cover weed.
I’ve been pulling Creeping Charlie for nearly as long as I’ve lived in this Minnesota home. In the fall I will feel like I have it beat, but in the Spring, there it is again. Some little root survived the winter and before I know it the Creeping Charlie is all over the yard again. This summer, I felt like I was living the definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result, so I stopped looking at the front yard close up and ignored the problem.
My neighbor, a few houses down, has the most beautiful yard. Honestly, there isn’t a weed in sight, no crab grass to be seen, and not even a speck of Creeping Charlie! The grass is lush and green. When my husband and I walk past his house I often comment on how beautiful his lawn is. Yes – I covet my neighbor’s lawn. I know that his lawn isn’t naturally beautiful, my neighbor puts in hours each week tending to it. He told me there wasn’t an area of the yard left untended this summer. He puts in the time, and he has the beautiful yard to show for it.
In the case of my yard this summer, I was not willing to make the investment of my time to keep the Creeping Charlie under control. Nor was I willing to make the investment of money to hire someone else to do it for me.
The point is this – when we look around us and see what we would like to have, whether it is a beautiful yard, a new career, or a fabulous vacation, we also have to ask ourselves:
“What will it take for me to get there?”
“Am I willing to make the investment, whether it is time or money or both or something else, to achieve that?”
“Am I willing to change my habits so I can support that dream?”
Is there something holding you back from achieving your dreams? Are you willing to make the personal investment to achieve your goals?
Take a good hard look at the garden of your life and see if you are holding yourself back.
Girl in the Garden 