Baby Steps

I never pictured myself as a gardener. Crouching is uncomfortable, weeds are a pain to pull up, and they always grow back. Plus, it’s hot outside, which means you get really sweaty and need another shower. And honestly, it seems kind of boring. Not to mention that I’ve killed several houseplants over the years.

Then I got older and my perspective shifted. I thought it might be neat to grow my own fruits and vegetables – I’d save money not having to buy them and I’d have them on hand, therefore – in theory – I’d eat healthier.  So, my husband made me my very own raised garden bed tailored to my specifications and it’s beautiful. I know, I’ve written about it before, but today it reminded me of something I needed to hear: success doesn’t come from one huge accomplishment, but from many baby steps.

You see, several weeks ago, I planted some seeds AND made a point to water them every day, which is a huge improvement for me. Days went by and all I saw was dirt. Then more days went by…and I still just saw dirt. I kept watering my dirt in the hopes that even one of those little seeds decided to sprout. After more than two weeks, I saw the tiniest of sprouts push up through the soil. The next day I saw a couple more. Now, I can clearly see my different rows of brave little sprouts that – hopefully – won’t die before they’re ready to harvest. Meanwhile, I need to keep watering them.

I started the new year with well-intended habits, although they weren’t actually “habits” yet… unfortunately, the follow-through was…um, not followed through. At the same time, I also started a different full-time job, which I absolutely love, but I have not found the balance I need to be creative, be it crocheting, writing, or anything else. I apparently just have sporadic little bursts of creativity that I sometimes act upon.

For example, one day in January when I felt one of these little bursts, I found a beginner’s crochet pattern of a bunny and dug out my yarn. I had to watch a few YouTube videos to remember which stitch was which and how to make a magic circle again, but before long I got the hang of it and started making progress. That’s the beauty of small projects – you can see progress almost instantly, which is sometimes enough encouragement to keep you going. I worked on the bunny just a little bit at a time and it came together in a few days, although I still haven’t given her eyes, a nose, or a mouth. Of course, she’s kind of crooked, but the point is I made her. And even though she’s not finished, she will still be there whenever I get the urge to finally give her a face.

But my garden reminded me that things take time. And even if I take a break between (or during) creative projects or tending my garden (or even planting seeds at all), I can always pick up where I left off (unless I forgot to water my plants for days or weeks on end, in which case, I have to start at the beginning again). In those days when I can’t pull all the weeds because the damn things breed like rabbits, even picking one or two is progress in the right direction. If I can’t crochet the entire bunny one night, maybe I can just do a leg.

With that mindset (and the suggestion of a dear friend), since I don’t remember the last time I wrote anything, I decided I could write one simple poem in a day. Nothing fancy, just something plain to get me back into the habit. Maybe a haiku since those are only three lines long. Okay, in the interest of full disclosure, I couldn’t remember the syllable pattern so I had to look it up (for those of you who are wondering, its 5, 7, and 5).

Before my haiku reveal, I’d like to give you some context. We had dug five holes intended for different trees in my back yard, each area lined by white bricks, enclosed in its own tiny 4 foot by 4 foot fence to protect it from my very enthusiastic fur-babies (three-year-old Rottweilers Remus and Chloe). Well, before we put the little fences around the trees, the puppers had eaten (or severely mauled) at least half a dozen trees. Our current orchard includes a green apple, two lemon trees, and most recently a clementine and an avocado.

          Avocado tree

          delicate, yet braves the heat

          please don’t die on me

What do you think? Not my best work, but not my worst. Perhaps I’ll write another one tomorrow. Or maybe I’ll give my crochet bunny a face.