The Kitchen Garden Novice Gleans

They say that "Men are hunters. Women are gatherers." I disagree. I think some men are both, and some women are neither. Permit me to present the following evidence.

Every day, hubby and I take our leisurely stroll around the neighborhood. Every day he comes home with pockets full of  "stuff." Behold Exhibit A:

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Now I ask you, what on earth does he need this stuff for? At first I thought he was just trying to save the neighborhood tires from unlucky puncture. But then I realized he was storing his acquisitions on the cabinets over his workbench. "That small key unlocks my file cabinet!" he declared, victorious! Yes, he is a hopeless "gatherer." But if you watch how he spots these treasures, you realize he is also a "hunter." For hubby is a classic "looker-downer."

I, on the other hand, am a "looker-upper." I am scanning the horizon for trees in bloom...mountains... clouds...  And I seldom bring anything home with me.

It could be a metaphor for our personal evolution. Many times during our walks, I ask hubby, "What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing," he says with a shrug.

Nothing. Hubby is content to live in the now, ready to receive whatever the Universe sends his way, open to the gift.

I, on the other hand, am constantly lost in my thoughts, musing about the future, focusing on tomorrow, and convinced that what is beyond the horizon will be...better. I seldom find myself in the gap between multiple  mental maneuvers. Insert heavy sigh here.

On the flip side, Hubby's obsession with open reception to the Universe makes him a hopeless collector. Exhibit B: our garage. Only his slight obsessive/compulsive bent toward organization keeps us from  appearing on this week's episode of  "Hoarders."

Yes I could learn a bit from my looker-downer, hunter-gatherer hubby. But he could learn a bit from me as well.  Together, we almost make a whole person. And I thank God every day for leading us to each other.