Toxicity

A strong word... dangerous, poisonous, possibly deadly. We're fortunate here; we have some noxious weeds and insects, but nothing particularly serious, more nuisance than threatening.

I'm struggling to write tonight because I'm trying to process hearing the word "toxic" applied to something that I don't believe actually fits. Lacking skill, lacking the right mix of nutrients, the right methods, perhaps, but not toxic. What grows, grows because of the groundwork laid, or not laid, if careful tilling wasn't done. Careful observation, the sharing of information, a willingness to trust. When those don't happen, the weeds can seem pervasive, but with care, they can be removed and replaced with something healthy and beautiful. But it requires will, energy, commitment, and the right tools - and quite possibly, expert insight if the knowledge and tools aren't there. Without these, weeds can indeed take over, and not just a single plot, but with every opportunity, as expansively as they're able.

It just seems easier to me to get to the root of it all, go to where the weeds began and at key leverage points when possible, both independently and in relationship to what else is around, because they're all interconnected. To then clean it all up, do the necessary work, lay new groundwork, and let something new and different take root. Even if it seems like its been done before, it isn't and can't possibly be the same, because over time, the weeds change, new tools have been developed, new skills learned, new information gained.

Some, however, like to believe the wise "Monsanto-types," those who appear to be knowledgeable, caring about the outcome, offering a "fix" for whatever ails, when really, they just want to sell their product and ultimately, they do more harm than good. Catalysts to something different, perhaps, but certainly not something better.

Or they just see the same weeds, and run to the next place where the weeds look different, or maybe non-existent, maybe just not as many, or maybe they seem somehow... better, less threatening. Or they're easier to ignore because they're not visibly present all the time, kind of that "don't think of an elephant" way of seeing the world. But dealing with them in a vaccuum won't work, either.

There's no easy fix, and it's all about hard work, if you don't want weeds. Or rather, if you want the weeds to be manageable, because I don't think there is such a thing as completely weed-free. I'm pretty sure that's impossible, albeit something to strive for.

I'm trying to work with my weeds. Some of them have some amazingly deep roots, some were addressed but found a new place to grow, and a big challenge is working on them in relationship to how the more recent actually grew, given that the landscape has changed. That's an area where I'd like to do some work, because I think it's an important place. But in that case, it takes more than just me, and I don't know if that'll happen.

Regardless, I'm committed to exposing as much as I can to get to a place of manageability so they can't ever take over. There aren't any toxins here, just some old groundwork and outdated methods that can be damaging to the good that's been created. And there's so much good - it just seems hidden when the weeds become overwhelming and the right tools aren't at hand.