July 23

PATIENCE MONTH: DAY 23: “Nature thrives in its own special way – there is a time to begin, there is a time to wait and there is a time to let go and just watch the magical powers of nature unfolding the best it has to offer.”― Sanchita Pandey

I first learned patience with cats and dogs. Their eyes opening, them learning to walk, and nurse and all the other wonderful things they do not know how to do at first. Their growth is so sweet to observe. Each dog and cat I have had was an individual, none the same. I have had the great good fortune to watch animals of all kinds being birthed. That is a beautiful way to learn patience. It happens when it happens. Although many of us are going to want to intervene to alleviate the pain of the birthing mother, it cannot be rushed without severe consequences to all.

I also have learned patience in gardening and growing things. A seed will only develop if it has the right conditions. I have spent over a year working on getting mango seeds to sprout. The best one I have had so far was in my compost pit by mistake and began to take root there. I could not keep it alive in a pot so failed in that attempt and all subsequent attempts. I keep trying. I love what I call my “science experiments.” There is a potting table on the side of my house where I keep them. The mango thing is an ongoing one. I eat catalpa mangoes every day, so have an abundant supply of seeds. I do the prep work and keep a pot of good soil for them, but so far no trees are sprouting. I don’t give up; I only need one tree. Smile.

I also put the sprouts that come up on ginger in a pot. I have a tiny sprout coming out of one. They seldom transplant into the garden and survive, but I keep trying. I eat a lot of ginger and would love to grow it, because it  is a beautiful plant, but I want to see if I can sprout it myself. I also stick them directly into the ground. So far, no luck in several years. I have had them grow in various places in my life.

I started lemon trees one year, just to see if I could do it. Most of us have grown an avocado tree from a seed. There are a few big trees around that I started. Life in this form is a test of patience and partnership with Mother Earth. I love that partnership the best!

While I have lots and lots of success with many seeds growing, there are some that do not bend to my will. They are the ones that teach me best. I love learning this kind of patience. I have been known to dig in the soil and check on seedlings that have not broken through the ground. It usually kills the seedlings, so I have learned to patiently wait…sometimes impatiently wait…as long as I wait, I guess THAT is the lesson. I enjoy it most when I do something else while waiting for my seeds to sprout.