We recently moved to a new home; one with a large yard and many plants, shrubs and perennials. I have never gardened. In fact, the past few years I didn’t even buy one potted plant because it felt like one more responsibility for me to care for.
Now though, with the help of some friends and family that have been giving me gardening tips and tricks, I’m finding it peaceful and exciting to see plants and flowers blooming after a Midwest Winter.
This weekend my mother-in-law came to visit. We strolled around our yard as she pointed out and named the beautiful flowers and plants. Then we found our way to the front flowerbed. There she pointed out the creeping jenny (also known as Field bindweed or Convolvulus arvensis). To me, this looked like a dainty white flower wrapping its love throughout the 40-foot by 10-foot plant bed.
Yeah, I learned something new. That dainty white flower isn’t so friendly to the rest of the plants. It’s a weed. Once my mother-in-law pointed it out and started pulling the vines, it was easy to see. This little pest was persistent; wrapping every piece of itself around and over every plant. Once it was pointed out to me, I could see how this creeping jenny was suffocating the growth of all others.
In the last few days I’ve spent over 2 hours finding, lifting and, throwing these vines out of the bed. Underneath them all, I can almost hear the plants thanking me. Every time I wanted to stop for a break, my eyes would catch another batch. And I’d think: I have to let just one more plant breathe easier.
As I picked, I started thinking how many times we find ourselves missing out on so much in life because, like that creeping jenny we find ourselves vining our way through anything and everything we find. We wrap ourselves around what we think will make us happy. We move and move, growing like wildfire on a hot windy day.
Yet, if we were to slow down. We’d notice the real beauty within ourselves lies beneath the creeping jenny. It’s those plants, the ones rooted deep, that cannot be easily pulled that keep us grounded to who we are. When we remove that creeping jenny, only then, can we see what’s meant to grow. For me, those deep-rooted plants are my family, my faith in God, and my deep knowing that I am meant to walk with others through their hard times so that they can heal and grow.
Yes, many times it’s easier to grow wider, faster, letting everyone see our dainty white blooms. But, then everyone misses out on the real us, made up of flowers like the daylily, iris, and peony.
Today, I invite you to take some time to reflect on your life.
Where is the creeping jenny in your life? What are the parts that grow the fastest and easiest, but if you stop and reflect, you realize that it’s just a weed? It could be something you’re chasing, a toxic relationship that you know you need to end, or an addiction. It could be feelings of unworthiness; or feelings of grief or sadness that you’re running from.
Now, think about the plants that are, and will always be, rooted in you? Which parts of your life are the daylily, iris, and peony? These are harder to identify when we let the creeping jenny of life overtake us. These plants are sometimes the first to suffer when we find ourselves misguided in life. We know the roots of our flowers and plants are deep, so we sometimes forget to keep them the foundation. Maybe it’s your family that you have neglected to be fully present with. Maybe it’s a passion that you aren’t making the time to nourish. Or maybe you need to water your flower garden with time to meditate or pray to build your faith.
I'd love to hear from you! Share in the comments what you thought of to be your creeping jenny in life; and what are your deeply rooted beautiful plants?
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