My neighbour was sold after listening to a presentation on having a garden around the house. He got some money, bought some used water tanks and filled them with sand, which he placed at some corners around the house. Later he manured the sand then contracted a gardener to plant some vegetables for him. He wanted to learn from the gardener so that he would do it himself during the next cycle. He planted bitter-leaf, scent-leaf, pumpkin-leaf, among other vegetables. Everything went smoothly the first couple of days as he began to congratulate himself for having made a good investment decision.

The gardener must have forgotten to tell him about the weeds because they began to sprout just as quickly as his vegetables when the first impressions made their announcements after a few days. And it seemed like the soil, cooperated better with the weeds than the vegetables. It seemed liked the soil was friendlier to the weeds than the bonafide members of the garden. It seemed like strangers were enjoying more hospitality from the soil than the omonile’s, as it were. It seems like hangers-on and parasites were given more cooperation from the soil than were given to the real owners of the land.

Fascinated by this discovery, my neighbour wondered if the garden was deliberating resisting him, while at the same time, welcoming and accommodating the weeds, which were uninvited gatecrashers; aliens and foreigners to the ‘deal’.

His fascination increased when some insects and pests descended on the garden and went straight for his beloved vegetables instead of the weeds. He would gladly have welcomed the pests and insects if they had helped him remove the weeds by feasting on them instead of his poor vegetables but the little creatures appeared bent on complicating his misery. So, while the leaves of his vegetables looked ugly and parched, the leaves of the weeds looked green and fresh.

He reviewed the situation and opted to fight for his vegetables. The alternative was to run away from the fight. He would apply himself and not cower at the intransigence of the weeds! He would bend down, sweat and pull up the weed carefully so that he did not pull up his precious vegs. He would monitor the pests and insects as much as he could to make them uncomfortable in his territory. He would remind himself of what’s ahead in harvest, the beautiful moments of picking his harvest-ready bunch, to generate motivation to keep him going. He told himself he would work. He would do all that was required for him to enjoy the fruit of his labour.

He did and had a hearty laugh the first time he plucked a sizable amount of vegs from his garden four months later.