Taking the Good with the Bad

Iris in the early morning sun.

I am not talking about weeds and invasive plants I am talking about people in the gardens; or more accurately people who visit gardens. A couple of weeks ago we had a rash of thefts at Ault Park. A statue that had been in the garden for many years was stolen from a garden and the copper kettle I installed in my shade garden several years back was swiped a week later. We even had a few plants stolen. Sigh

I was crushed, saddened and even questioned why I was doing this. Friends, that was a huge departure from my normal take on things! For about that long I questioned my time at the park.

Then something wonderful happened. I started visiting the park on my way to work. It is quiet, the early morning light is beautiful and the time in the gardens makes me feel alive.

As I pulled a few weeds (careful not to get dirty before work) and pondered what to add the shade a garden a lady stopped and asked if the garden was mine. I said it was.

“Walking here in the morning, seeing these gardens is the highlight of my day,” she said smiling and walked on. I needed that!

I will stop at the park more mornings, to enjoy our gardens and in hopes of seeing her again. I want to tell her just how much it meant to me what she shared that morning when I was feeling a bit defeated and sad.

Truth be told, we will always have a few bad seeds in the gardens, but we also have countless others who simply love our park and gardens and respect them.