Dyer’s Woad by Jewels

Photo Credit: USDA Forest Service

Today's post is by the phenom Jewels of Frazzled & Frumpy. I would say of Jewels that she is one of those treasured people I have met online whom I would like to think of as a friend. I must admit that I keep envisioning us having coffee together and then the image is disturbed by the fact that Jewels doesn't drink coffee, so I have to make something else up. You get the idea. Today, she is going to share with you about falling in love with pretty weeds and reflective screens. Jewels is a wise woman. Pay attention.

As you drive up the canyon near our home, you’ll see a lovely, little, yellow flower. It grows up the side of hills and there are fields that overflow with it. I fell in love with these blossoms last summer. I was so enamored that during one drive, I stopped and took a picture. When we got home, I proudly showed my picture to my kids.

My son looked at it and shook his head. “Mom, that’s Dyer’s Woad. We spent all week digging it up.” What? I didn’t understand. My kids work at scout camps in the canyon. Apparently, this ‘lovely flower’ is a weed. It is aggressive and will choke and force out all other vegetation. The pretty little blooms are nothing more than a façade for a nasty killer. I’ve been struggling with my own bit of Dyer’s Woad lately. It’s called ‘the internet’. Oh, yes, it has its virtues. It is information at my fingertips. It is ideas and stories and inspiration. It is also the thing that takes me away from my family. A lovely façade that hides a nasty time killer. I’ve noticed that a lot of bloggers are taking time off. Perhaps we all feel it. The balancing act we perform gets one sided and we feel ourselves falling. 

Time to step back. Time to take stock and measure the good with the better. Time for priorities to be listed. I love the internet. I have made friends. I have learned and expanded my mind. I have honed my craft. For these things, I am so grateful. I have also half listened to my children as I try to multi-task. I have shooed them out of my room because ‘Mommy is busy’. I have sat next to my husband without paying him attention as I browse. I do not plan to stop my internet activity. No calls to my cable company are in the future. But, I will dig and prune and find where the weeds are most prominent. (Pintrest, maybe?) I’ll get my balance back, embrace the better and try to find a way to also keep the good. And, maybe plant some real flowers. (Thanks to Tara for letting me guest post. I’m always thrilled to do it, especially when the blog is so fabulous. Then, I get very self-conscious, especially when the blog owner is so fabulous.)