Gardening. It’s a weird concept. Though I don’t do it anymore, I have I have in the past. And that’s why it surprised me when a friend compared life with gardening.

It got me thinking and I realised that in each of its steps, gardening teaches us a valuable life lesson.

Step one: Get down and get dirty.

When we divulge in the dirt, turning up the soil, both our body and our mind connect with the earth. It teaches us to stay grounded, to remember we are only a tiny speck in a greater evolution, and that we came from the earth to which we will return as well.

Step two: Sow the seed, watch it grow

Gardening is about planting a seed, watering it every day, nurturing it, pruning it, and waiting for it to sprout. Life is the same.

To cultivate a thought, a philosophy, we should first let it seep into our soul and take over our body. We should nourish it with encouragement and positive thoughts for it to evolve into greatness.

It’s inspiring to observe a plant grow from a shrub to a branch to a strong benefactor. It makes us realise that we too will grow stronger with time. We’ll face challenges like weeds and pests and our own self-doubt. Despite the challenges, the many painful twists and turns, we will emerge stronger.

Step three: Clean up, prune away

With every plant comes along unnecessary weeds. For a tree to grow without hindrance, to achieve its potential, we should prune away those weeds and make space for new sprouts to appear. Likewise, in life, uncertainty and negativity will surround us, but just as we prune the plants, we should learn to chip out the evils that hamper our progress.

When we eliminate the obstacles, we’ll create room for positive people and good vibes to occupy our soul. Like spring-cleaning our lives.

Step four: Re-plant, re-live

Regardless of how much we fail at times. Some seeds don’t grow, no matter how much we want them to. Maybe the soil isn’t right.

We learn. We try again. We become better gardeners.

Sometimes in life our efforts aren’t fruitful either. We whine—and it’s understandable—but we shouldn’t give up. We should try again, because that’s how we grow.

Gardening teaches us to persevere in our goals. Every strife during the journey is only a lesson that makes the destination all the more worthwhile.

Good things don’t happen overnight. No seed flowers in a day or night. Just as gardening is a long and arduous process of growth, so is our life. The purpose, thus, is to enjoy the journey.

---

Thanks for the muse, Kumud and #SpiritChat.