The Kitchen Garden Novice Sprouts

Okay, so it's been one week since my last post. And what do I have to show for that week? Well it's been a week of lessons learned. One of the things I've learned is that you can't rush nature.

Everyday, I've whispered to my tiny herbs and to my reluctant rosemary seeds. True. At times I've caught myself looking over my shoulder to make sure no one is watching me talking to plants. Then I have reminded myself that if nothing else the carbon dioxide I exhaled was good for my babies. I have fought the urge to start transplanting the basil and oregano which sprouted first and definitely seem the heartiest. I contemplated reseeding some rosemary. After all it has been almost three weeks since this experiment began.

In the meantime, I have worked on focusing on the now. But it's so difficult! What is the point of planting seeds if you are not looking to the possibility of them germinating and sprouting? That's not finding joy in the "now." That's hoping for joy in the future.

In my exercise of the power of now, I have been taking daily walks with the dog. I can learn a lot from my dog. Some would say she has a poor attention span. But, she is so focused on the joy of the moment! She spies a rabbit, and strains to give chase. We encounter another walker and she is sure that he is there to personally greet her. A leaf takes flight and she springs to pounce upon it. There is no worry of "Where will my next meal come from?" or "What will we do when this walk is over?"

Yes, in my next life, I think I need to come back as a dog. I could use a shorter attention span. Maybe then I could find more joy in the moment.

And just when I was sure that I would never learn the lessons of "now," it happened. Today, I came home from our walk and checked my little Zen garden. Two tiny rosemary sprouts have poked their heads above the soil! I am giddy. I couldn't be more proud if I had given birth to these little herbs myself.

So what have I learned? For the moment, it is enough to be pleased with where I am. I don't have to concentrate on making plans for transplanting and repotting. I am content. I am.

Consider the lilies of the field. They neither labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how
God clothes the grass of the field...how much more will God clothe you...Luke 12:27