Tend A Garden
Welcome, fair spring, wherever you find her. It is early, just a tad, but she is here, warm and gentle. We wouldn’t dream of asking her to go and come back later. Always a welcome guest, we go out to meet her at the gate, welcome her into the yard, throw open our windows, and call her into the house. Graciously, she glides in, train of green flowing behind her, golden sunlight for hair streaming all around her, cheeks that are the blush of fresh blooms.
Time has transformed me into one who understands that toil precedes pleasure. There is always digging, hauling, pulling, washing, and pruning before seeds can be planted. Only after that can we begin the gentler work of watering and watching. Much later, we will do whatever harvesting there may be. Deciding what must be removed and clearing it away is a prerequisite to selecting and cultivating what one desires to grow.
Gardens are filled with such universally applicable wisdom. If you long for a teacher, find a garden to work in. Then you will have four mentors: fair spring, wild summer, prudent autumn, and solemn winter. In truth, there are myriad instructors nested in each of these. We are all composite beings, not least of all these mighty seasons, the personified ebb and flow of life. Their character changes, adjusts, and evolves with every iteration, and so must we if we are alive and wise and part of the great composition.
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Perfect! 🫶🏼🌹