Much of life can be explained or understood through the simple metaphor of a garden. As I worked on my hands and knees this morning, the garden seemed applicable to virtually every area of my life.
Nature abhors a garden. – Michael Pollan
The natural world does not include ordered rows of any kind of living things. Not in a garden, an office, or anywhere in our lives. Order must be taught, and it’s important for people to live and work together harmoniously…
It’s easy to forget in modern, western society that our natural state is wild. That there are things beyond our control is surprising, especially with the overwhelming amount of our lives that bend to our will, our programming, and our personalized settings.
Seeking to control the uncontrollable is a source of stress. If you’ve seen the gardens of Versailles you know that controlling nature can be accomplished, but forcing any living thing to conform will only last for so long – only until you let up, even just a little.
The constant, relentless assault of dandelions and dollar-weed in my garden is a daily reminder right outside my window of the uncontrollable element in life. I’ve concluded that working to achieve a life with less rigid boundaries (allowing some weeds here and there) and flexibility is much more satisfying than trying to keep every last thing under control.
