I hate yard work.  Truthfully, my dream lawn is one that is brown and dead or paved (and painted green).  Recently, while downstate in Illinois visiting my parents, a good friend of mine from high school came over and, while there, suggested that we help out my elderly parents by doing some “spring cleaning” in their yard.  I tried to explain my stance on yard work and that I had inherited from my parents but, to no avail, found myself quickly in the yard being “schooled” by Gwen on the plan to make my parents yard look the way it should.  Wanting to get this done as quick as possible,  I went to work mowing and raking.

Standing back, sweating profusely, I looked happily at the even lawn and how clean it looked.  Yes, I was ready for a frosty mug and started back into the house to make this idea a reality.  I hadn’t taken two steps when Gwen said, “Where do you think you’re going?”  I explained my plan and immediately informed that “we still have to weed the flower garden” and that I ” should get over here!”  Grudgingly, I joined her to weed.  Still thinking about my original plan of frosty libations, I jumped right in so that could I get back to it.   I had been yanking, pulling, and working hard for five minutes when I felt the icy chill of Gwen’s disapproving eye upon me.  “Chip, what are you doing?” she asked.  I thought it was obvious what I was doing and found her question a little stupid.   I explained that I was doing what she told me to do….WEEDING!
“You’re doing it all wrong.  You have to get down in there and get the root.” she explained.  “WHAT!?”  I retorted.
“You have to get the root or it’s just going to grow back and take over the garden.”

Having been properly “trained” I went back to work.  As I did the job correctly, her words started to sink into my mind.

“You have to get the root or it’s just going to grow back and take over the garden.”

I had to get the root!  Yes, that made perfect sense!  Not only in this instance but also in my life and with problems.  How many times had I not gotten the root of those “problem weeds” in my life and then they grew back with more intensely and overtook my work, personal situations, or relationships?  I might have pulled the top of the weed and made it look good for a while, but I hadn’t gotten to the root and stopped it from coming back.  Who knew weeding could cause such insights!?

What about you?  Have you found the same to be true?
What I found with my day with Gwen is that if you REALLY want to yank that problem weed from your garden and keep it from taking over your life, you need to do three things.

First, you have to be prepared to get dirty. At the end of my yard work day, I was sweaty, dirty and a little stinky.    Getting at the root of a problem takes some work and, yes, it may take some digging.  Admittedly, getting dirty isn’t always pleasant but, then again, neither is having problem weeds ruin your garden.  Weigh your options, which do you want?  I think you’ll find that it’s easier (and takes less time) to clean up after pulling a few weeds than it is to try to gain back an area overtaken by weeds.

Second, you have to know what kind of root you are dealing with in each situation.  This was where Gwen knew her stuff.  She told me about so many kinds of plants and their roots that my head was swimming.  For my problem weeds, there are two types.  The kind that have one root and those that have a multiple roots that are fibrous (or spread out).  This is going to effect how much time is spent on digging the problem weed up.  A single root is easier to pull out and remove.  A fibrous problem system is going to take longer.  I learned that I liked to start with the easy roots and yank those first.  It gave me a feeling of accomplishment and immediately made things look better.  I then went to work on the roots that took a little more time.  Both took effort but I liked the momentum I gained with my system.  Reflecting will help you identify the root system so you know the ones to attack first.

Lastly, have the right tools for the job. Gwen had all the tools in her truck to get this job done.  She had a spade, gloves, and this cool, long skinny thing that grabbed the root quickly (that’s my technical description).  For our problem weeds we may need tools as well.  These tools usually come in the form of friends or professionals that help us talk our problem out.  This always helps me dig a little deeper and really get the root at its source.  If you don’t get it all, it’ll just come back!  Get the right tool!

I still don’t like yard work but I do like the lesson I learned that day working with Gwen.  In my life, I’ve had a lot of weeds come back and take over areas of my life because I didn’t get the root.  Now I know that I’ve got to get dirty, dig deep and have the right tools to ensure that they don’t come back again.   My hope is that if you have problem weeds that are trying to take over your life, you do the same.  Get in there and get busy!