Pretty plain but pretty, still.

I like to garden and to grow things. However I am not a great gardener and many of the things I grow are the common plants that anyone and everyone else grows.

As I potter around my garden I often pot up smaller plants into pots. Either to plant elsewhere, or keep in pots, or to give away, or simple because I can’t bear to throw away a potential plant even though I have no need for anymore of that type.

Lately I have decided that I have too many pot plants around the place. So I planted a lot in the garden, just to get them out of pots. Some others I took up to the Hall where we now hold our Church services, on Christmas Day. My idea was to initially brighten up the outside entrance and then to give them away to whomever wanted them, after the service, as so called Christmas presents. Even though they were big healthy plants, no one really wanted them as they already have them. So although I did find a taker for one Hydrangea, I took the rest home.

So, as an exercise in getting rid of my excess plants it was pretty much a failure. However in talking to the Pastor later, he complimented me on improving the Ambience of the place with the lovely plants. So I have now been encouraged to continue taking plants up there, not just to get rid of my excess baggage but to improve the ambience of the Worship service. This of course, involves a bit of extra work and not what I was intending originally. It was to get rid of extra work, not create more! However if it helps others and doesn’t cost me more than I am happy to provide, why not.

What about you? Have you started something plain and want to get rid of it, thinking it is not appreciated? Have you started off trying to do one thing and ended up doing another, not intended?

If so, the thing to do is to ask yourself a few questions. Such as:

Are my efforts, bringing some benefit to others, whether originally intended or not?

Am I doing something that no one else will do?

Am I stopping others from doing better, by my efforts and thus need to step back and encourage others to come forward?

The answers to these questions should help you to decide what to do.

For me, I will continue to take plants up and back each week, for as long as I can, or until asked to stop.

Because even though they may be pretty plain and pretty common, they are still pretty and pretty useful!