We grow gardens, for we grow kids. But over the years my gardening skills have changed. I used to think that I just had to feed and fertilize them with content. I sprinkled and sprayed and trusted that they would grow from there, and if they didn’t it was the seed, not the gardening. And certainly not the gardener. I was good at my content craft. A green thumb, mine. If kids grew, it was me. If kids didn’t grow it was them.

But one day–I don’t remember when (but–fortunately earlier than later), I went to pull what I thought a weed, only to discover it was one of the seedlings in my care. So, I stopped. And as I stopped, I wondered. How could one of my seedlings be looking so poorly? Surely, here in the middle, she had gotten all the care of my craft. What was this? How could this be? And as I looked, I discovered more–many–in want of water. And I saw, I think, my garden for the first time. More, I saw, I think, myself for the first time. Most, I saw, I think, each plant for the first time. And I did not like what I saw.

For too long I had only seen the green of the garden (a mirage), which hid the health of the humans in my room.

So, I threw away the bags of fertilizer, and I started an organic garden. I quit cultivating content, and I started cultivating kids.

That’s the garden I grow.

Happy Tuesday, all.

Do. Reflect. Do Better.