Grow Rather than Control

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With exasperation, the young woman tried to control the weeds that grew outside her home. She pruned and cut, pulled and severed, covered and hid, yet the weeds continued to grow with determination.

Finally, she decided to grow rather than control the feisty plant by positioning a few well crafted trellises next to the weed's winding path. With the structure in place, the plant began to follow a path in and about the trellis limbs. Sweet green tendrils grasped the polished wooden trellis gently like the way a baby grasps his mom's hand. The young women marveled at the weed's pattern and emerging leaves.

Later, covered with green, the trellis served as a backdrop for a bench and table creating a place of shade and comfort, and after that, beautiful flowers began to bloom brightening the yard and spirits of all who walked by.

In reflection, the young women thought about the many minutes, hours, days, and months she had used to control and fight the weed's natural path. Then she thought about how once she let go and supported the weed's growth, not only did the weed grow with beauty, but that beauty spread out into her life and the lives of others.

It was a good lesson of time and effort for when we work to control, we often stymie the beauty and possibility that life holds.