Life and the Dandelion Field
Although dandelion greens and roots are good for food, (my sister and her ex-husband used to 'harvest' them), I don't like for them to grow in my yard. Something about dandelions, they are relatively easy to pull. They do have those spiky leaves, but if you get underneath the whole of the leaves, the thorns point slightly upward and you can mostly avoid the prickles and pull the whole thing, simple root system and all. There is one main root that grows downward and a bunch of little root off-shoots, but it's a pretty easy weed to rid yourself of... unless...
Sometimes we're tempted to just mow down the dandelions when we cut the grass early in the season. This is a mistake. Although the weeds aren't noticeable for a time, the root remains. The root grows while the top of the weed regenerates. When you finally get around to really 'weeding' and pull the weed from the ground, you find shorter, more prickly leaves, with sharper thorns, and a deeper, thicker root, with many more, secondary roots growing in any number of directions. It's more difficult, at this point, to get the whole of the root out of the ground... and if you don't, it will just grow back. Also, the flowers grow more quickly once you 'prune' the top of the plant. This means the plant will more quickly, and less obviously, make seed pods to spread the little weed all over your yard and your neighbors' yards; wherever the wind blows.
Such is life. The parallel can easily be drawn between dandelions in the field and spiritual dandelions in us. Pick your vice. Ignore it, hide it for a while...it will only quietly grow where no one sees. When the time comes that you get serious about conquering your weeds, the more difficult it'll be to get to the bottom of it all and root it out of yourself.
These are some of the things I think about when I'm sitting in the yard, with an empty laundry detergent bucket and a butter knife, yanking those prickly little plants out of my field of St. Augustine grass. I spent three hours one day a couple weeks ago... an hour yesterday, and I'm still not done with the front yard. That's only the front yard.
It's tedious, constant work. But if I don't do it, who will? Does anybody care more about my yard than I do? I guess the neighbors can all see when I neglect it. Sometimes people are like that They see our shortcomings... sometime, even those we choose to ignore, or we can't see. But I can't remember a time when a neighbor came to pull my dandelions. They are mine to pull. I guess I could invite their help. I wonder how that would work? It generally doesn't work that way.
I suppose if I prefer St. Augustine grass, I should continue to work at it.
Otherwise, I'll find I have only a field of dandelions.
Sometimes we're tempted to just mow down the dandelions when we cut the grass early in the season. This is a mistake. Although the weeds aren't noticeable for a time, the root remains. The root grows while the top of the weed regenerates. When you finally get around to really 'weeding' and pull the weed from the ground, you find shorter, more prickly leaves, with sharper thorns, and a deeper, thicker root, with many more, secondary roots growing in any number of directions. It's more difficult, at this point, to get the whole of the root out of the ground... and if you don't, it will just grow back. Also, the flowers grow more quickly once you 'prune' the top of the plant. This means the plant will more quickly, and less obviously, make seed pods to spread the little weed all over your yard and your neighbors' yards; wherever the wind blows.
Such is life. The parallel can easily be drawn between dandelions in the field and spiritual dandelions in us. Pick your vice. Ignore it, hide it for a while...it will only quietly grow where no one sees. When the time comes that you get serious about conquering your weeds, the more difficult it'll be to get to the bottom of it all and root it out of yourself.
These are some of the things I think about when I'm sitting in the yard, with an empty laundry detergent bucket and a butter knife, yanking those prickly little plants out of my field of St. Augustine grass. I spent three hours one day a couple weeks ago... an hour yesterday, and I'm still not done with the front yard. That's only the front yard.
It's tedious, constant work. But if I don't do it, who will? Does anybody care more about my yard than I do? I guess the neighbors can all see when I neglect it. Sometimes people are like that They see our shortcomings... sometime, even those we choose to ignore, or we can't see. But I can't remember a time when a neighbor came to pull my dandelions. They are mine to pull. I guess I could invite their help. I wonder how that would work? It generally doesn't work that way.
I suppose if I prefer St. Augustine grass, I should continue to work at it.
Otherwise, I'll find I have only a field of dandelions.
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