Report From PIA – March 23
At a recent talk I showed an image of Dave and Judy Roger’s garden. With a business name of Art In Green, you know that their property will be beautiful and it is. Much of it is also very low-maintenance because the plantings are so think that the weeds can’t compete.
This is something I’m striving for at Poison Ivy Acres. Because of financial limitations, I can’t afford to plant the entire property in a couple of seasons. So for now I make due with small plants, mulch, and planting bit by bit. Eventually, my gardens will be planted so densely that the weeds can’t get through.
As I think about this, I wonder what the equivalent strategy is in life? How do we plant so thickly in our lives so that the unwanted can’t make inroads? Some things that are unwelcome in life always find a way, of course. People get laid off from jobs, become sick or die and there is no way around it. To be living means that unpleasant things will happen.
What about those “weeds” we can control? What can we plant more closely to discourage the disagreeable? Boredom isn’t welcome, to propose just one example, and that can be kept at bay by many desirable activities. No matter where we live or what talents we have, there are numerous volunteer opportunities where our time and skills will be valued.
Can we put our time and attention into wise planting, so that what’s unwanted doesn’t even germinate? In the garden, weed control is pretty straightforward: plant lushly, mulch, and hand-pull. Is it the same in our lives?
Dave and Judy Rogers have planted a lovely garden, and I am blessed to know them.
