A small flash of red in a pile of green.

This little bud found itself wondering how it ended up in the “yard debris” pile awaiting pick up.

The church behind our house owns a small lot down the street and has turned it into a beautiful garden. They grow a variety of vegetables that are given to the homeless shelter, and always have different plants and flowers in one stage of bloom or another.

Volunteers buzz around almost daily, women in oversized sun hats, children with garden boots, pruning this and tilling that. Working slowly with skill and precision.

Except sometimes they don’t.

Sometimes they, like all of us, move quickly.

Move roughly.

Are in a hurry.

Are not focused.

Use big sweeping movements.

Clear a path, blaze a trail, remove everything in the way.

See only the next step instead of the one being currently taken.

Are focused on finishing instead of doing.

Are not present or mindful.

Sometimes we do harm we are not aware of.

Cause collateral damage and fail to notice.

Sometimes, in haste and hurry, and in the taking of big steps, we fail to look down, fail to take the time to separate the flowers from the weeds.