You don't really need words.

I was weeding today at one of the guerrilla gardens (Wilton & Sunset) and finished the second half of the mission solo. Which is something I need to do more often. It truly is a sort of meditation. And getting a weed out from the very bottom of its root is a satisfaction I'm not sure I can put into words.

At some point a Vietnamese gentlemen in his 40's came passing by as I was yanking out the little intruders. He smiled and kept walking. Moments later, he turned around pointing at the garden and said in very broken English, "You work?"

Me: "No, I'm just a volunteer. My friends and I put this garden in...we're trying to clean up the city a little."

He sort of cocked his head to the side and stood there, kind of processing what I just said. He gave me a pretty generic smile and a head nod as if he was leaving, but continued to just stand there. I wasn't sure what else to say, so I continued weeding. He stood still for a solid 20 seconds, just watching me. Then, in silence, he bent down and started pulling weeds.

Neither one of us said a word. I smiled at him once or twice and then after he pulled a few handfuls, he stood up, waved goodbye and was on his way.

THIS is why I guerrilla garden.