Lessons from my garden

Regine le Roux of Hout Bay writes Recently, the overgrown weeds in my garden became embarrassing! I started by pulling out the easier ones, but when I got to the bigger bushes, I had to tap into my Better Half Mark’s toolbox.

Time spent in the garden gives you time to think. As I was hacking away, I realised that the weeds symbolise issues. First, we need to recognise that we have to deal with things. Too often we bury stuff and hope it’ll just go away. This creates a wonderful environment for these weeds (issues) to fester and thrive.

It also doesn’t help to just cut away leaves and branches. You need to extract the roots; otherwise, they will grow back even stronger.

As I was looking at the sandpit I’d created, I absent-mindedly tugged at a piece of ivy that had taken over a tree.

This turned into an obsession with getting rid of ivy for the next few weeks.

During ‘Project Ivy’, I put my hand into the fork of a tree and was greeted by a snake. I went inside, took a few deep breaths and contemplated whether it was in fact a good day for gardening.

(Isn’t it crazy how quickly we come up with excuses when faced with challenges?) Once I’d calmed down, I roped in Mark’s help to re-home the snake. When I encountered a second snake two weeks later, it was much less of a palaver and I worked around it before calling on Mark.

The next mission was to get rid of the dead ivy branches: ‘Project Excavation’. I found the most magical things like pieces of an old plate, oyster shells and beautiful pebbles. The other day, my garden gifted me a silver ring!

So here’s what I’ve learnt:

• Start; even a small start is a start.

• You decide how to deal with challenges. • It’s OK to ask for help.

• Stop worrying about things that you have no control over.

• Treasures await, the deeper you dig. • Your work is never done; maintenance is just as important.

• Take time to reflect, enjoy and celebrate all your hard work!