life is like a garden

Forest Gump’s mother told us that life is like a box of chocolates.  However, my friends, I see life like a garden.  For you see, a garden isn’t always pretty.  Sometimes the plants die, indicating that a life is over. This is not necessarily the fault of the gardener, although neglect and poor choices can lead to a lack of vigor and even premature loss of life. Instead, it tells us that a life has been well lived or that it is time for a period of dormancy to regain energy and re-establish our roots. The fruits have been borne and, as is the case with all good things, this period of growth is over. But oftentimes, this brings an opportunity for new life.

There are also usually lots of weeds.  It is not always clear where they came from, how they got so big so fast and how much of an impact they will have, but we do know that they are unwanted, so we do everything we can to get rid of them.  This involves a great deal of investment, not only in the form of time, but also as a manifestation of willpower and gumption.  Yet, despite our best efforts, they remain, requiring us to adapt and learn.  As we partake in this ongoing battle, we are often faced with the unexpected and it provides us with the opportunity to view any given problem from a different perspective.  Along the way, we may discover something new and wonderful that we never knew we wanted in the first place.

Then there is the endless work that goes into nurturing something that will reward us in the long-run, rather than the here and now.  This requires patience and planning, observation and adaptation.  After all, almost nothing that truly adds something good to our lives is easy, because we didn’t earn it, so it isn’t really ours.

And then there are times that there is so much beauty that it takes our breath away.  The fruits of our labor are bright and vibrant, signally that we have done something right – that our efforts are in fact “worth it”. These are the times that are the most easy to enjoy, but without the other components of the life-cycle, we may not be able to appreciate how wonderful these moments truly are. This is seemingly one of the great tragedies of life – we do not recognize how each part of our lives is intrinsically connected to the other, how the previous, current and future elements interact to create an ecosystem of life.  But we should if we can, because like a garden, life can be wild, lovely and offer so much. However, it is when we take the time to nurture that which we have that will we be rewarded with truly beautiful growth.  

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