Taming Roses and Native Thistles

I have a thistle along a path near my house that I have nurtured for two years. As a “Weed Warrior” in the park, I am delighted to slay invasive thistles such as Musk and Bull Thistles. Canada thistles are hated noxious weeds. However, my thistle is a native Wavy Leaf Thistle that I hope will propagate to the meadow near my house.

The delight I have with my thistle reminds me of one of my favorite tales, The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. In the story, the narrator pilot crashes his plane in the Sahara Desert. A little boy, a prince, appears out of nowhere and they become friends. The prince comes from a far-away planet where his most prized possession is a rose. The prince describes his previous experiences on other planets including his encounter with a fox who taught him to realize how important it is to know others, including roses.

The book has other subthemes but the idea about loving a rose resonates with me. “It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important” says the fox.

I also find other inspiring words from the fox who said to the little prince:

“To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you, on your part, have no need of me. To you I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world….”

I have put a placard by my thistle saying what it is and asking the landscape people and anyone else walking by not to destroy this plant. It reminds me daily of the admission in The Little Prince, “and now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” To others, my thistle means little. To me, however, it is a wondrous plant that I am eager to greet each day.

Seeing what sometimes is invisible to others seems foundational for nurturing relationships with people as well as with roses and native thistles.