Three Life Reminders from a Budding Gardener
2 min read
Last Sunday, we sprung forward with the annual ritual of changing our clocks to daylight saving time, and next Monday, we will officially transition into spring. For gardeners, spring is a time for planting, pruning, and preparing flower beds and other areas for the growing season ahead. I don't garden, but I do have a close friend who does. My friend finds delight in feeling the soft, enriched earth between her fingers, sniffing fresh herbs, and crunching into a newly harvested broccoli. In talking to my friend, I have gleaned some special life lessons. From gardening, we can learn so much about possibility, patience, persistence, the joys of nurturing growth, and feeding ourselves in body and soul. Here are three gentle life reminders gleaned from my friend's gardening adventures.
1. In gardening, as in life, patience rewards.
My friend and her boyfriend were at a nursery a few months ago. Her boyfriend saw a goji berry tree, and he was elated. He loves goji berries, especially as a topping on his açai bowls. On the other hand, my friend saw sticks and bare branches. She didn't see the plant's potential and didn't want to waste money on a sad-looking tree, something that didn't look like it would make it. But her boyfriend pleaded with her, and she gave in. Two months later, with consistent watering and sunlight, the leaves on the tree grew back. The leaves came out of dormancy. This should remind us that we, too, can grow beautifully after being dormant for a while.
2. Plants are resilient, and so are we.
Living in Los Angeles means that my friend can garden year-round. However, certain crops only thrive in warmer weather. My friend loves growing basil, a plant that tolerates heat well and has a bountiful harvest. But once the temperature dips, her herb's tolerance is tested. The leaves wilt and lose their brightness. But despite this bittering experience, my friend knows her herb will withstand the vagaries of the weather because everything has its time to thrive. Just because it is not in a positive state now doesn't mean that won't be the case in a few months. Sometimes we are fraught with unfavorable elements, but we can persevere knowing we are stronger than we think, and the time will come again when it's time to thrive.
3. Adaptability is essential.
My friend once bought an indoor plant, and when she went to repot it, she noticed that the roots were wrapped around and bound with an organic material meant to compost but had not. Not able to grow downwards, the roots started to grow upward and around the material. The roots had adapted and made the most of the conditions of their environment. This story reminds us that being adaptable is essential to growth and that we should make the most of the environment that we are in.
To glean more life lessons and reminders from gardening, listen to Freedom Garden with Tylee Sewell (S1EP4), a self-described “Cali nature girl from Brooklyn.” In the episode, Tylee takes us on a trip into nature from her native New York City to Virginia, Georgia, and finally, Sacramento, California. She shares the path that has taken her from a commercial graphic designer to her current artistic medium as a landscape designer and horticulturist. In between, Tylee tells the scary story of how at almost the point of death she abandoned the pursuit of the American Dream to discover her love of the outdoors and growing things. Tylee’s life journey is a powerful story of freedom.
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