Weeds and Life’s Purpose

I took my wife and mother to a wonderful organic farm a few miles from our home. The 180-acre operation which includes a three-acre greenhouse is run by an enchanting couple. Dean, the husband, captivated us with tales of soil chemistry and local bacteria. And his wife Christine, a drop-dead gorgeous French woman, dazzled our taste buds with her culinary magic. If P.G. Wodehouse were alive today, he would readily agree that like his character Anatole the French chef, Christine is also “God’s gift to the gastric juices.”

Every Sunday throughout the summer, Dean and Christine hosted an outdoor brunch. They held two seatings, each for 24 people. They used the produce from the farm in their dishes which meant the food was so fresh you wanted to slap its face. Even though they did not advertise, reservations went fast. Guests had been known to drive over 100 miles one way to attend.

On the Sunday we were blessed to be there, Christine prepared spanikopita (spinach pie made with filo pastry). Even now as I write about it I am overwhelmed with reverential feelings for that particular masterpiece. But I digress. While serving myself a second helping (and still swooning in delight over eating the first), Dean sidled up to me and whispered that there was actually no spinach in this spinach pie.

“What’s in it?” I gasped in astonishment.
“Weeds,” he replied.
My knees buckled.
“Weeds?” I gasped again.
“Weeds,” he confirmed.
“What kind of weeds?” I asked.
“Lamb’s quarter,” he said.

Dean proceeded to extol the nutritional value of lamb’s quarter but all I could think about was how great it tasted.

Lamb’s quarter was the first weed I could identify as a toddler when I “helped” my mom in the garden. For nearly 60 years, up until brunching on those bliss-bestowing morsels, I hated seeing lamb’s quarter in gardens. Farmers must also share that hatred since they spend billions upon billions of dollars on herbicides and untold hours spreading it on their fields to kill off every single sprig of lamb’s quarter. Now Dean tells me that lamb’s quarter is good, wholesome stuff. And my mouth was an immediate convert.

Lamb’s quarter, the archetypal worthless weed that is found in everyone’s garden, isn’t so worthless after all.

The realization got me thinking. The story of lamb’s quarter was yet another piece of evidence that nothing in Nature is wasted and Whoever or Whatever created this Whole Thing didn’t make any junk. Every plant, every creepy crawly, and for that matter, everything and everyone has value.

Let me, for a moment, put a bookmark at that thought and bring out another wrinkle.

My son dropped out of high school two weeks ago. He is/was a senior. He claims it is only for a month and that he plans to re-enroll for the second quarter and make up the school work he missed via correspondence courses to graduate with his class. We’ll see. In any case, he maintained that the purpose of this “hiatus” is to travel around the country and hope to find and/or ignite a spark in his life.

That got me thinking more about purpose and the spark that drives purpose. 

Here is what I realized.

I am convinced that we were all put here for a purpose. Identifying that purpose and then expressing it is the real fun. I am also convinced that each one of us has all the tools and resources necessary within arm’s reach to realize our purposes. Perhaps those inner resources are latent but everyone already has the requisite intelligence, creativity, energy, and time. Everyone also has the necessary passion to drive the process.

So where’s the problem?

The problem is that most folks, besides not believing they are special (a tragic oversight, by the way), are so dulled out or fatigued that their innate intelligence, creativity, and passion are encrusted with inertia and thereby rendered sluggish.

The sharpness of our intelligence, and the liveliness of our creativity, and the intensity of our “spark” are all directly proportional to how rested we are. If we dissipate our energy in inane activity and pointless work, and if we squander our time in traffic jams and commutes, and if we eat empty, dulling foods, and if, with whatever time we have left, we watch mind-rotting television, then finding our purpose will be darn near impossible.

The intensity of our spark in life is completely dependent on how rested we are. If my son would listen to me, which he doesn’t, I’d have communicated this point. So instead of running around the country and getting exhausted in the process, I’d have counseled that he get deeply rested. Then the path becomes both obvious and irresistible.

I saw an apropos comic strip (“Bizarro” by Dan Piraro) in the newspaper yesterday that should give us pause to evaluate the direction each of us is taking in our lives. An old guy on his death bed is surrounded by family. The old guy is reflecting on the achievements of his life. He says, “I watched a lot of TV, ate a lot of fast food, and sold more laminated countertops in June of 1973 than anyone else in the Southeast region. My work here is done.”

www.lazyway.net

Comments

[Praveen]

This is really true. I love how Fred can express deep truths so simply.

My wife is always complaining about the weeds in the yard. I pull them, but feel a little sorry. I always tell her that they don't know they are pests - they just want to live and grow.

When I see full grown weeds, I'm amazed that they are actually nice to look at, with flowers on top.

I have a similar story on my blog about how everything is perfect the way it is, and has a useful purpose: The Cracked Pot

[steve in sunny Florida]

Fred,

I really enjoyed your post. But I have some follow up questions. How do you suggest one gets deeply rested. TM? Or TM coupled with other things?

Also, how does one accomplish getting deeply rested while working full-time and raising children? I feel lucky to get 8 hours sleep most nights...

[HP van Duuren]

The Lazy Way WORKS!!
OEPS.., Sorry, it helps to increase your Consiousness. Now I work less and earn more on bonusses, don't have trouble with Traffic Jams, because I simply don't work long enough to be in them. Also "Weed-Out" most of the "Mind-Rotting" television to avoid traffic jams in my mind also. I playfully created 4 websites one actually had 1000 visitors. Now I like to build on the trust that my other websites can attract visitors aswell, do you have any suggestions about how to build the trust that more website traffic is under way?

[Harald]

Why should it be bad to travel around? Personally, I figured that this is exactly what I needed. Going abroad, meeting lots of new people, that really inspires me. Yes, it is exhausting, but positivly. I'm feeling human again. All this wouldn't happen if I'd stay at home where everything is safe and convenient.

Leaving the your cozy nest, at least for while, always teaches you something about yourself. And our world is such an exciting place!

I agree with many of your points Fred, but this I don't understand.

[Fred Gratzon]

Nothing is wrong with traveling around. It is actually doing him some good by giving him some new perspectives and teaching him self-sufficiency. It is, however, wearing him down on several levels. We’ll see if it gives him the spark that the is looking for.

[veera]

Fred, this site is getting a little stale.Unlike earlier, when it was refreshing and interesting.
The Focus seems to have shifted to TM.

Ha!, The vedic pundits could have well remained here in India and do their bit to bring the light of joy into the eyes and hearts of countless people living here under poverty levels.

My country here has become almost like a satellite state of USA serving their business interests in the shape of a backoffice.

While one third of the population here equal to that of USA is living under poverty, another one third has been affected by the American way of Globalisation losing human values and LAZY way of Life in their zest for achievement of material success at ANY COST . While the rest are trying to somehow make it meaningful in the midst of all the contradictions.
So Fred, convince and pack them off to India and for good measure you can accompany them here.You will learn a bit about LAZY way, in our hinterland here.
veera

[Derek]

During this holiday season, we have had a number of visitors escape from the city to come out and see us sitting on top of the mountain in Arizona. They have been astounded at the difference in what we call daily life and what their hectic experience is back in the city. I'm glad that I live in the middle of nowhere, and most of the time can still participate in great endeavors as a remote programmer, but not very many people are courageous enough to try it. (And not very many managers are capable enough to support remote workers.)

Any suggestions for the wannabe city refugee who just doesn't think they can ever leave the safety of the large city? I'm just here because my wife was tired of the earthquakes, traffic, smog and riots in LA in the 1990s. If not for her action, I'd probably still be living in Pasadena.

[Mark Withrow]

Interesting observations, Fred.

I was intrigued by your take on the Bizarro cartoon. I had seen the same cartoon, and my reaction was somewhat different. Instead of feeling pity or condesension for the man on his deathbed -- because of his supposedly shallow or meaningless life -- I actually admired the old guy.

Why? Because he is shown surrounded by his FAMILY at the time of his dying. That fact alone is proof that the biggest and most enduring accomplishment of his life was so much more than simply how many laminated countertops he had once sold. Or, for that matter, how many money he had (or had not) accumulated, or how many long-forgotten magazine covers or TV interviews he had (or had not) appeared on.

Rather, at the moment of his greatest personal need, when he was feeling the most alone, scared, and vulnerable, his family demonstrated the true value of his life and the depth of their love for him. They did this by climbing out of their individual hammocks to do the hard work of gathering around him in support, so as to let him know that his life had mattered deeply to THEM. Their is no finer evidence of a life well-lived.

It's difficult to tell from the cartoon, but it could be that the setting shown is not inside a hospital. Therefore, perhaps we are to infer that his family had brought their pater home to die, so as to provide for his hospice care themselves, and not leave him to die surrounded by strangers. Again, more hard and difficult WORK, undertaken by a loving family. And, because they truly loved the old gentleman, I believe they would have felt privleged to do so.

Food for thought...

[Jack's Muscle Building Diets]

I've never heard of Lamb's Quarter. What does it look like?

- Jack Leak