Meet the St. Paul woman who thinks pulling weeds can be meditative

Gratitude. Pat Owen, Hazelden Foundation executive-turned-Como Park volunteer, uses that word a lot.

It may not be common to feel gratitude when pulling weeds or other invasive plants, for hours and often alone. But for Owen, a 72-year-old cancer survivor, there is peace and restoration to be found in making her beloved Como Park a more beautiful place.

Eye On St. Paul recently met with the 2023 St. Paul Parks Conservancy Park Volunteer of the Year on a park bench behind Como's Historic Streetcar Station, and learned something about gratitude.

She and 18 other volunteers will be honored Wednesday night at Party for the Parks at Phalen Park Picnic Pavilion.

This interview was edited for length.

Q: How long have you been volunteering?

A: I believe I started about four, five years ago. I started at Como Woodland Outdoor Classroom. I've got a little plot there. I love it. It's called the Oak Savannah. It's just a cute little spot.

A: Oh, I'm not sure in terms of actual acreage. I would say in terms of my way of thinking, it would be less than a quarter of a city block. It's not very big.

Q: What do you do there?

A: Well, all I have to do is pull the invasive species. And they taught us which ones are invasive. And pick up any litter that people have left. And so I just go once a week and take care of the little space.

Q: Do you talk to people?

A: [laughs] There's nobody there.

A: Oh my gosh, this whole thing feels like such a privilege. I started there. And then my next spot, which I just started last year, is [the Historic Streetcar Station area]. So I do both. One is small. This one [the streetcar station] is endless. It might be a bit of Tom Sawyer and the picket fence. But I feel like it's just an immense privilege that I can do this.

Q: You're saving them a lot of money, I think.

A: Oh, sure. [laughs]

Q: Do you have much interaction with the public?

A: Usually, here, I might see people occasionally. But it's usually because they've missed the turnoff for the lake [laughs].

A: I do. I live just five or six houses down there.

Q: How long have you lived there?

A: About 25 years.

Q: When did you think, "I'm going to volunteer?"

A: About four or five years ago when they put out the call. I thought, "Oh my gosh, I'd love that." And it was about the same time I became a Minnesota master naturalist. I don't know if you know that program.

A: It's a parallel program. And I can't claim to have any extreme knowledge of anything, so it's a pretty big title. But it's a beautiful program. It's done by the University of Minnesota Extension service. You take a one-week course, and you commit to doing volunteer work and so many hours of continuing education. And of course, it's all stuff I love.

Q: Are you retired?

A: I am. I was a clinical psychologist. Actually, my last position was vice president of Hazelden Foundation.

Q: This is quite a change of gears then, isn't it?

A: Sort of. It's happened before. When I became 50, I retired and went into the Peace Corps, went to Senegal in Africa. So that was my big switch.

A: 2002 to 2004. And then I came out and worked for 10 years at COMPAS, a community program for the arts.

Q: Why is it important for you to volunteer?

A: One is pure gratitude in giving back. I just feel so fortunate to be healthy and to live in a place like this that I think, "Oh my gosh, I have to." Last year, especially, when I was starting at this place, the weeds … I was weeding for hours. But it gave me so much time to think. That's when the war began, Russia bombing Ukraine. I thought, "I bet those people would love an afternoon where all they had to think about was pulling weeds."

You get to a point in your life … for example, I've had cancer. And I'm 72. What do I want to do with my time? And what is it you want to live for? And the answer for me is I want to make my life worthwhile.

Q: What does your work here do?

Q: Do you ever feel it's meditative?

A: Oh, totally. Hours can go by, literally, and I'm just: "Ahhh."

Q: Are there days where you just don't feel up to it?