The thing about weeds

I can be compulsive about pretty much anything, and my August mini-obsession was pulling weeds.

We've had enough rain scattered throughout this summer that the lawn has stayed fairly green. Grass growth has been consistent, generally requiring mowing slightly more than once a week, no more than three times in two weeks.

But those weeds!! I was aware that long before the grass needed a trim, various strains of crabgrass, johnsongrass and who knows what else were shooting out, making things look unruly in the easement between the sidewalk and the curb, and in a patch where the side yard meets the back.

I noticed some of these annoying weeds a day or two after a rainfall and decided to take advantage of the soft soil to see if they would be easier to pull. And they were. I'm not a gardener and not much of a lawn caretaker at all, but pulling those weeds gave me a sense of satisfaction. My husband was on one of his many trips this summer, so I texted him a picture. His affirmation made me feel even better about that simple task.

Not too long after the next mowing was followed by another rain, I noticed more of the pesky weeds. So I went out and pulled them. Altogether, I think I've done this three or four times now. Gene's no longer impressed. In fact, he and a friend joked that it had become my new distraction (SQUIRREL!). It still feels satisfying to me.

The thing I noticed about the weeds, though, is that after I had pulled the most obvious ones, it became harder to distinguish the nuisance grass from the good grass.

This made me think of some of the difficulty I have with tasks such as housecleaning or even with spiritual soul-searching. Most tasks, however difficult they may end up being, have some easy components, and I tend to do those first. When it gets more difficult, it's harder for me to stay focused.

With the weeds, I decided it would be better to pull some good grass than to let possible weeds stay rooted. I trusted the grass would easily spread back to cover any bare or thin places.

I wish I would adopt that attitude with the inside jobs. I still struggle to pull -- or get rid of -- anything I think might have any value in the future. It continues to stymie my major post-workforce project.

I hoped that by writing about this, after writing about good intentions, I would have some new insight and motivation for pulling the weeds that clutter my house and mind.

I'm still waiting ....