THE WEED

WEED: Defn: "a useless or troublesome plant"

A while ago a strange looking plant arrived in my garden. Its seed had obviously wandered into our property and then germinated in our inviting soil. I wasn't sure what it was, so I decided to let it grow a little. It quickly sprouted more stems and leaves and I was told that it was a "weed" and that it should be eradicated.

I was a little reluctant to get rid of it, so I pruned it heavily into the ground to give myself time to decide its fate. By the time winter came it was taking over my flower bed again, so it got another severe trimming. When summer arrived, I asked my gardener to dig it up. He did and threw the stump aside. Again my conscience got the better of me; I felt sorry for the plant (:)) and compromised by "burying" it in a section of my backyard where it wouldn't bother anyone (if by chance it decided to grow again).

Well, true to form, its green leaves were soon sprouting from the ground. This "Weed" now has the most beautiful blooms - so fragrant in the evening - which send wafts of euphoric auromas into my bedroom. It is frequently visited by bees and has finally been granted the freedom to show its true colours.

How often do we simply discount things, people and happenings in our lives? How often do we hear of the "weeds" who were at school with us, rising to amazing heights for the sake of humanity? Do we perhaps stop to think of their potential and possibilities? After all, a "Weed" is a social label! Everything has a purpose and it has ironically become man's responsibility to decide the value of that purpose. Often we don't give enough credit to this mission and flippantly discount people, animals and plants.

I want to encourage you to think about your actions, to think about the labels which you attach to people and to double-check your stereotyping and prejudice. Often, it is the so-called 'useless' people and things which surprise us most - those "WEEDS" in our lives.