Dear Curiosity Journal,
Seedtime necessitates weeding sessions, and today is our first pass through Greenhouse 4. For me, it’s the ultimate grounding experience. There is nothing like moving your body close to the earth, wrapping your fingers around plantlife, and inhaling the aromas of your Mother to set you firmly in the present. I observe insects fleeing my giant palm as I overthrow their neighborhood and examine the springy moss forming in a wet corner. Biology animates universally. Although I can’t identify all of the plants we pull as “weeds”, I recognize some of my old friends; Chickweed, Lambs Quarter, Creeping Charlie, and embrace them as more than “weeds”. They’re edible delights that energize the digestive system after a long winter. They’re Mother Earth’s contribution to covering bare soil. They’re not our enemy, not an adversary to battle, not something that should cause us to turn to chemical warfare. They’re our neighbors and co-creators in the ecosystem we all call home. It’s possible to remove a weed from your garden without hating it, without poisoning our interconnected lives, free from malice. It’s a matter of moving yourself closer to the Earth.
~Joy
