Finding meaning in weeding the gutter : how boring tasks can bring insight
When faced with tasks I don’t relish in, my mind tends to activate the “find meaning in this” button.
Three buckets full of earth. I never would have thought there would be so much. Dirt had accumulated in the gutter lining our pavement and weeds had begun to sprout, making our house look unattended.
First, I pulled out the weeds, those visible underminers of order and decency. I could have stopped there, because the borders of the house looked neat again. But I knew that keeping earth there would only beckon more weeds to nestle and grow.
I started scraping the compact earth with a three-prong cultivator, and soon the whole drain was filled with loose earth. Out with the broom and dustpan. I thought that was it, but after having transferred the earth to a bucket, I saw that there was another layer of compact earth underneath. I scraped and dusted, and filled a second bucket. It wasn’t finished. One more round, and then finally, I got to the underlying brick. Now it would be a while before any new weeds appeared (or so I naïvely thought).
I stepped back and looked at the result. Neat. I couldn’t help but notice the neighbours’ weeds, standing out all the more now that our side was tidy. Will they resent me for making their weeds stand out?
When reaching a new level in personal growth, the contrast with others who remain static in their weedy life becomes painfully evident. It may have an alienating effect. But hopefully it will push them to move up as well.
Personal growth is like starting to weed and scrape at the surface of who you are. The more you scrape, the more you uncover additional layers of dirt that need evacuating : biased thinking, procrastination, fear, are just a few problems that need to get acknowledged, loosened, and dealt with.
Taking care of your property is like taking care of yourself. You are improving your self-image. It’s an act of benevolence.
“I am neat and orderly, I deserve to live in a place that reflects this.”
To me, clutter has an inhibiting effect on creativity and inspiration. A tidy place invites me to get into an inspired state.
Unfortunately, you can’t weed once and for all. The weeds will be back. Personal growth (and property maintenance) is a never-ending process. You might have to deal with the same problem again — only, you will have learned to recognize it and take action before it becomes too big.
And you may get satisfaction from finding new and improved ways for dealing with it.
By the way, should you have suggestions for keeping the weeds down — the actual or the figurative weeds — do feel free to share!
