Seeds and Weeds

When my grandma passed away, I created seed packets with Forget-Me-Not seeds inside, for anyone and everyone to plant in her honor.  She loved flowers, and I believe she would have loved the physical and metaphorical overlays between planting new seeds at the time of her passing. Here’s a pic:

 

Now, I love flowers, but I have no patience.  I plant seeds, but I immediately want to see growth.  When a week passes, and I still see no results, I become impatient.  I would be the worst farmer- and indeed, I have no (living) plants in my house.  I am the palliative care of gardeners- I gently escort them out of this life.  I joke about having a “Gray Thumb.”  I fully intend to plant these seeds, but it’s anyone’s guess if they’ll live.

My mother is the opposite- patient, steady, consistent.  She has lots of beautiful plants in her house.  They flourish in her presence- no matter where on earth we’ve lived.  I think it’s a little disgusting that they just continue to look fabulous amazing that she is able to nurture, so effortlessly.  She will have fields of Forget-Me-Nots.

I pondered this.  Part of being a good gardener is balance.   It is, in part, letting nature take its course, without interfering too much (again, very hard for me to do): don’t unearth the seeds to see if they’re sprouting, don’t overwater, etc.  Another part (equally important) is not neglecting- don’t forget to water and fertilize, don’t forget to weed the garden, etc.  The last part is to enjoy the harvest- enjoy with family and friends, share the seeds with other gardeners, perhaps store away for the winter.

Obviously, I’m not talking about gardening.  When thinking about the garden of my life, I oftentimes get sidetracked by a variety of different “seeds” and “weeds.”  By focusing on which things I would like to see reach full bloom, I can better decide which seeds to plant (or not), and which things are plants vs. weeds.  By thinking about my end goals and purposes, it becomes much more clear which of the “weeds” that come with everyday life require weeding out, which plants may need more attention/water/fertilizing, and which plants needs a little more or less sunshine.

This week, I need to answer a few questions about my garden of life:

  1. Which plants do I want to see in full bloom in 10, 20, 30 years?  What are things that I want to be able to say I have done by the end of my life?
  2. What are the “Weeds” in my life?  How can I get rid of them?
  3. Am I overnurturing or undernurturing any seeds I have already planted?  Can I restore balance?
  4. Are there new seeds in my life I need to plant, but haven’t realized yet?
  5. How will I pass these seeds on to future generations?
  6. How can I enjoy the harvest, and with whom will I enjoy it?

 

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They tried to bury us, they didn't know we were seeds #quotes #motivation…

xoxo

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