One of the many reasons I love gardening is that I think that the hobby parallels a lot of life lessons regarding relationships, growing up, and being happy.
I am pretty sure this little sprout makes me an expert on the matter so I thought I would share four things I have learned about life through it all. Rules, so to speak, that if followed with save you some heartache and maybe a mint plant or two (RIP Jason, my beloved mint plant).
1. Be patient
I have talked about this one before. (Read about my green beans here). When listing what is required for a seed to grow we always talk about sunlight, water, and soil. Even with all of those things a seed still needs to be given time to grow into whatever it is to become. So if you feel like you are doing everything you can and still aren't getting the desired result, do not forget about time. Give yourself time. Give others time. Having patience is one of the hardest things in the world for me but gardening has helped.
2. Don't plant flowers in the yards of people who aren't going to water them.
So as it turns out, this is a super important one. I have learned this the hard way both with literal plants and with people. A new friendships is a lot like a flower: soft, delicate, and exciting. The beauty of a new relationship/friendship is too often wasted on people who don't actually care. At least not enough to put in effort. I do not know why we all do this. It is like we have this innate desire to spread beauty to places that will never appreciate it. Like it makes us noble or something. I'm here to tell you, it is not worth it. Why not? Because every day as you drive by, slowly watching those beautiful flowers die does not feel noble. It feels foolish. And you, my friend, are not a fool, you are a gardener.
Trust me. You deserve better.
3. Embrace the challenge/understand the obstacles
Like life, gardening has its fair share of troubles. Growing seasons, bugs, adverse weather, weeds...ect. They are completely out of anyone's control. So what do we do? We recognize what we are getting ourselves into, and we prepare. Offense is the best defense. There is no way that you are going to make it through this week, let a lone life, scratch free. That is just not how it goes. We have the good, the bad, and the ugly happen to us. What matters is how we handle it. I believe that when we embrace the challenges of life, and do our best to prepare for the future, we grow the most. We become more resilient.
4. Give whatever it is room to grow.
Your friends, yourself, your rutabaga, anything. Regardless of what the thing is, I can guarantee it needs some space. Do not micromanage. Do not over water. Take a deep breath and let the people and things around have a chance to grow on their own. To become more resilient on their own. To become strong and beautiful on their own. It is more fun that way. It is less stressful that way.
Happy growing. Happy living. Happy loving. Happy gardening.
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