Discoveries in the Garden

There’s a certain sadness in clearing out the garden at the end of the growing season. All of the hard work that went into the tilling of the soil, the planting of the young seedlings and the bending that the weeding required is now a memory. There’s a sense of loss as the last of the fresh tomatoes are picked, with the small green ones that can’t be used left on the wilted vines for the neighborhood critters to eat. That smell that envelops the gardener, standing in the middle of the tall, leafy plants, could be bottled and sold, it being such a heady and inviting aroma. Now the smell is gone, replaced by clear, crisp autumn air. Ahh. The garden of the summer of 2009 is no more.

But with that sadness come some intriguing discoveries that mirror the patterns of life and give pause to consider our own situations. Because there, waiting to grow full, are the plants that were lost as other plants became overgrown with all of the rain and had invaded their space. The garlic chives had waited patiently as the leggy salad tomatoes had topped them, taking their sun and slurping their water. Now that the tomatoes were gone and the sun and air were theirs, they smiled in full advantage. Take us, they beckoned. Take us for your next recipe. We make cannelloni more spectacular a dish than even you can imagine.

The blue flowers that started with an impulse purchase of a package of seeds for a plant I’d never grown were now standing tall next to the chives. Under all of those tomato vines, the Blue Enchantment had spread to make a small carpet of lush, green, pointed leaves. Petite blue, yellow and white flowers were now greeting the morning light.

So go the paths we often take. Some times we take a back seat to another – a spouse, child, friend or colleague, so that they can reach their goals. We are the supportive structure that gives them the opportunity to grown in their own sun, to be nourished with words and actions, just as the plants are nourished by the water. Until one day, when they have achieved and they move aside, allowing us the chance to flourish. All of that time, we have been waiting until the leaves and vines and ripened fruit are gone and now we stand tall, reaching for the morning light and showing that we, too, can make our life one spectacular dish that even the best chef cannot imagine.