At The Right Time: More Lessons From the Garden (vol.2)

July, 2016

I emptied myself of everything as I went towards the row of tomatoes in my garden. They are growing quite nicely, which means they need attention. I began pruning off the "suckers". If you picture the plant’s stem and a branch that shoots off of it, suckers fit into the “armpit” intersection. They just show up in the growth process, and proceed to drain energy from the life-giving fruit of the plant: the tomato. It’s easy to think about people who were “suckers” showing up in my own growth process, but that’s a different blog for another time.

My younger sister has specially made stakes that have 3 sets of holes that help tie the tomatoes as they grow upward. I was moving the cords from the lowest level of holes to the second level and re-tying the plants. They were beginning to bush out and meet the plants next to them. I wanted to keep their width more manageable.

As I stooped to prune the suckers I began thinking of past experiences and opportunities that I’ve had that I shunned for different reasons. Maybe they were jobs that I didn’t think were glamourous enough, or things that required me to move out of my familiar zone and step up to something new. I started thinking of opportunities that I wasted because of my prideful self. What I failed to see in those moments were that they were opportunities to grow. Whatever it was that I was rejecting or dismissing was a moment where my own pruning would have taken place.

In those moments that I thought were pointless, I could have gotten rid of some behaviors or thought processes that were synonymous to the “suckers” that I was cutting away. I will not get to my best self if those “sucker” thoughts or behaviors continually drained all my potential. Note to self: pay closer attention what’s happening in the moment; is what I’m experiencing insignificant, or are my thought processes sucking potential out of me and maybe causing me to miss a life changing opportunity?

The second thought that came to me is about moving the cords from the lower level to the second level. Most of the plants had grown to a height and width that demanded they be adjusted. But there were a few that had not grown to that degree. I tried to re-tie them anyway to avoid having to come back, thinking that they would grow into it within a few days. What I discovered when I tried to move the cords up from the first to the second level was that they would fall away. They hadn’t yet reached the point where they could remain in place. It was not yet time. It was too soon. The tie was not a good fit. There was still some growing to do.

I should not be overwhelmed with the thought of having to revisit that particular plant, or be in that particular space again. No need to be distressed by that. Tending to a “work in progress” may call for spending a bit more time and energy on one item that needs more attention than other things that are in process. In its proper time, everything unfolds well. Be careful not to rush the process.

Keywords: Learning; Productivity; Retaining and growing talent; Self-awareness; Success; Transforming.