The Philosophy of the Garden

Saturday, I had a nice, long pep-talk with myself and pulled my lazy butt off the couch to go plant some carrots.  Gardening is a long loved past time of mine that not many remember about me.  If people think they need help outside, they usually first go to my brother, and rightly so.  The guy could grow apples in a desert.  My thumb is a lighter shade of green, but it's still got the touch.   As long as I can remember, my family has always had a garden.  This is ironic, as I seldom remember eating any vegetables as a child - most likely the result of my grandmother's generosity and a picky appetite as a kid.  The actual memory of gardening is there though.  I vividly remember the year my dad planted potatoes for the first time.  The yard is still built up in that area to help drain the water.  Two years ago, I planted my first personal garden, and was surprised by the success I had.  There was something almost spiritual about having that time to yourself to turn the soil and shelter delicate blossoms.  A successful garden takes the perfect balance of all the required ingredients - soil, water, nutrients.  Too much of any one thing and suddenly, you have a bunch of very dead plants.  This is also how I've come to see life in the recent months.  Life is about experiences.  You will experience joy, anger, sadness, loss and sometimes its all in the same day.  A successful life is about finding that perfect balance. You can't have joy your entire life, or you'd never appreciate the best moments.  Similarly, letting yourself get stuck in a never-ending sadness will take the eagerness for life away.  It's really easy for me to get carried away in the moment.  Sometimes, I have to step back and remind myself that life continues to move forward.  It's not always going to bad, or good, or even just mediocre.  Life is all three, and that's what makes it awesome.