Other Gardens I Tend

Trusting that I'm growing something good

I wish I was a gardener, but I don’t do well with bugs and worms. I wish I knew that every day I got up early and tended to the earth with care and consistency. But I also don’t like mornings a whole lot. I wish I could harvest vegetables to share with my friends and invite everyone over for a home-grown feast.

I tried really hard to grow a herb garden last year but the Midwest heat got to the plants and the bugs got to me.

There are many metaphorical gardens I tend to, but without the tomatoes and basil, I’m still wishful of the title.

I tend to the garden of my mind, nurturing my ability to think and learn.

I tend to the gardens of my relationships, loving and investing in the people around me.

I tend, slowly, to skills I am developing.

The literal garden is still so alluring to me. That at the end of the day, you can step back and see all that you have cultivated and cared for. I want to take in visually the evidence of my efforts. I want to see everything all at once, like when, as a kid, I’d lay out all of my new Christmas presents on my bed.

Maybe I take so many photos because I’m looking for evidence that I’m making something beautiful.

Maybe I’m looking for comfort in knowing I have been consistent. That returns on the investment will be mine since I’ve invested diligently. A soft sort of security that might be found in discipline.

I’m counting on the little things adding up over time, and, if I’m lucky, maybe they will compound.

Not the intensive 1% better everyday optimization bait, but like a child putting pennies in a piggy bank, I’m trusting that all the small actions amount to something.

Over time, I’ll gradually become a better writer, a better thinker, a better cook, a better friend, a better partner. And, over time, these gardens will also yield plenty to share, growing something good.