A Time of Abundance

Experienced gardeners and farmers accept that each growing season isn’t completely predictable.  Every year, crops may yield huge numbers, or a natural disaster may destroy them completely.  The ebb and flow of times of plenty mixed with times of scarcity is a result of living in a natural world that we can use, but can’t fully control.

Novice gardeners (the category in which I still fall) often feel surprised when their vegetable gardens provide several meals’ worth of produce, and likewise also feel disappointment when the reality of a tough growing season does not match expectations at planting time.  Lamenting to other, more mature gardeners in the past about problems such as my dying cucumbers or my unproductive squash plants has often been met with a response of “Most cucumbers haven’t handled the heat spells very well this year” or “This hasn’t been a great year for squash.”  Such responses have always made me stop and mentally re-evaluate my own awareness (or lack thereof) of what I can truly control.  And, they’ve made me begin to appreciate my occasional gardening successes.

Currently, dear readers, I am living in a time of abundance.   Much of it has come in the form of a little happy baby boy, who, like the songbirds and the first flowers of spring, arrived in March.  My home, my heart, and my life are overflowing right now, and I can’t logically explain why I get to experience it all, with its joys and successes, busy days and long nights.  My husband and I wanted children for years before our son arrived, and so the opportunity to live this abundant life leaves us grateful beyond words. 

Every single day, I have more to do than I have hours available (forget whether or not they are “waking” hours – that’s no longer a factor that determines whether or not something gets done!).  Some people feel frustrated by that feeling of never getting ahead, and once in a while, I do stop and wonder if I’ll ever feel rested again.  However, I primarily see my life as so full right now that I never have to look far in any direction to engage in some fulfilling activity.  Everywhere I turn, I am surrounded by the opportunity to do something that I love, and very often it is for or with people that I love.  Minor irritants may occur, perhaps even daily, but they are just reminders that I am living a real life, not chasing a dream that may end suddenly.  

My blog has been empty and my garden has been full – primarily of weeds and plants that the deer have destroyed.   Then again, I have achieved a small victory in my triumph over the evil squash bug this year (several squash have been picked and eaten, and we’re still going strong with not a single bug in sight!).   I also was quite happily surprised by the explosion of flowers on my gardenia plants – their fragrant blooms were the highlight of my front yard for nearly a month, and I have no idea why.  I fed the roses their food this year but overlooked the gardenias, and still, they brought out their showiest flowers yet.  I did nothing to deserve that, but I enjoyed it, nonetheless.

I am already looking forward to sharing my love of the outdoors and my gardening adventures with my son in the coming years.  And I also realize that times of abundance come and go, as do times of grief and need.  Whatever the future may hold, I have to capture this year in my memory, and take a little time now to marvel in the wonder of its goodness.