Dragons

I get the itch to start gardening at this time of year. I buy seeds online and plan where they’ll go. I make charts and diagrams so seeds go into the ground as early as possible without losing the produce to frost, rot or critters. And then?then I hurry up and wait.

Last year, on a whim, I bought dragon fruit seeds. Ever tried a dragon fruit? They’re deliciously sweet with a hint of apple and the texture of a kiwi. They look like the kind of fruit a dragon would eat: red on the outside and white with tiny black-edible-seeds on the inside. Simply slice the fruit in half and start scooping out the innards.

I planted according to the directions, thinking I would simply grow the plant inside all year round whether it bore fruit or not. I didn’t have high expectations; it is, after all, a tropical fruit, but I thought something would grow. Nothing. I realized it wasn’t important if the seed didn’t grow. Perhaps it was more important that I tried to plant something I was pretty sure would never actually grow. This setback won’t stop me from gardening, and it won’t stop me from trying to plant new things. Perhaps it isn’t about the reaping of the benefits, but rather the practice of sowing possibilities.

God of growth, remind us that we are seeds to be planted again and again. Amen. — SNN