Friday, June 19, 2009

quite contrary

how does your garden grow?

we planted seeds on the inspiration of a friend's garden. i wanted zucchini plants but none of the stores carried the plant, only the seeds. i have always been afraid of planting seeds. it can be disappointing when nothing comes up. sometimes you have bad seeds and they don't sprout. sometimes the gardener doesn't have the discipline to raise seeds. sometimes it's difficult to have the patience to wait on the seeds. i worried, did i do it right? did i plant the seeds too deep? two and a half weeks i waited. i wanted to see fruit. i wanted to see plants. neal saw his basil a lot earlier than my zucchini. i was getting discouraged and frustrated, thinking i would never be any good at this seed-raising-gardening-green-thumb thing. but i kept on watering. and i waited. well, wednesday morning i checked. number one zucchini plant rising through the potting soil, lovely green. new. still carrying it's seed. and deeply rooted. very strong roots. and yesterday, two more.




in this fast food culture of drive-thrus and microwaves, waiting is not valued. but there is much to gain in the waiting. in the waiting, you can choose to worry. you can choose to get frustrated and throw a fit. you can even choose to give up because the results you want to see aren't happening in your timing.

or you can just breath. relax. trust. keep on watering, keep on caring for the seeds, finding the right amount of sunlight. the right amount of exposure. and in time, the right time, you will see the fruit.



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