Mid-Week Confessions and a BIG BIG lesson on PATIENCE

  Last summer I marveled at how quickly I was captured, and as I fell hard, I was stunned by my ability to tend my garden.  I was unequivocally in love with that small plot of dirt, and as I watched the plants I'd coaxed to life grow and nourish my family.....well, it was a remarkably satisfying feeling.
  We planted that 12x12 piece of dirt again this year; tomatoes, cucumbers, snap peas, peppers, celery, onions and lettuce, it's amazing how much you can fit into such a small space.  I also planted pots filled with herbs and a strawberry plant I'm still not sure how I managed to not kill over the winter.
  Well this summer has shaped up to look nothing like last summer.  My swimsuit hangs on a hook and has been admired from a distance, my floppy hat, the one I picked out specifically to cover not only my head but also my face, has not seen much light of day. 
  To say it delicately, I have had few moments to enjoy the summer and embrace my inner child.
  A month ago I thought my garden was done for and, the most painful bit, I was certain I'd killed my strawberry plant.  (I wrote about it then but never posted because I felt foolish about writing about something so trivial.  Yet instead of tossing it into the recycle bin like I never had the thoughts at all, I thought I'd piece together a lesson for myself today.)
  So back to a month ago.  
  Do you remember July?  Well it was hot here, really hot, for here anyway.  Here's my confession, as sad as it is: I forgot to water my garden; completely forgot it was even there.  
  I stepped into that dry patch of dirt one day and saw a mess.  My peas grew together because I forgot to string them up before they tangled into a gnarly, twisted-clump of messy-green disaster.  I will admit the peas tasted the same, and yes, they did taste good, but there was absolutely no uniformity and had there been, I'm sure they would have produced a much greater harvest.
  Shall I continue or would it have been better had I called this entry, Here's to the Ridiculous....  
  Thankfully I happened to be in the backyard at the right moment to adorn the tomato plants with lovely metal-work cages, to not only help them grow tall, but to bare their weight.
  
  For a few days all those weeks ago I truly believed I had failed my garden, hence the composing of the original piece you're seeing bits of.  I had neglected it to the extent that a few of the weeds I pulled were taller than my knees.... shameful, I know, not to mention the seeds that simply didn't sprout, (there will be no peppers of any sort this year.)
  So here's my lesson: but in truth there are many; I guess it just depends on the lesson you need today.
  I started something and, though I didn't feed it or give it the attention that my own expectations begged, I still did the job.  My garden has still produced and, if my over-grown and heavy green tomatoes, which in fact, are growing beyond what the cages can hold are any indication, I'm not as unsuccessful as I thought I would be only weeks ago.
  I just picked a giant bowl filled with cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, lettuce and an onion, though the onion was definitely premature.  Last week I even threw some of that homegrown produce into a pot of soup!
  Do you see the lesson in there or am I seriously reaching here?
  Okay, you asked for it!  I'll explain.
1~ you don't have to be the best at everything to see results!
2~ rushing to conclusions and claiming defeat is inbred in us.  How often do we abandon       
     something we love simply because we hit a bump in the road, something appeared to 
     be blocking our way or it doesn't happen in the time we expect it to? Serious food for 
     thought right there!
3~ when growing something worthwhile you will have good days and bad, stormy weather, 
     perfect-balmy days, magnificent sunsets and cool rain that can revive even the most 
     dehydrated creature.  
4~ everything that is alive takes work.  I guess the options you have are to tend and put in 
      some effort or give up and walk away; washing your hands of the obligation.  There is a 
      third, though I am hesitant to mention it because to me it is maybe the worst, and that is
      to let it grow dormant; it's a death all its own that is hard to recover from.

  Have I got carried away again?
  I'll try to reel in the serious and get on with it, shall I.
  Take it or leave it, folks, that's my confession, my truth, my lesson, if you will!  I think I've offered more than enough for today!  

That's all!
Happy Wednesday