PEBBLE
We’re like seeds of a tree; after many harsh seasons and many bright seasons, we will one day tower higher than a building.
~posted by a friend in a 2020 letter to her students, shared by Nick via The Ripples Convergence
BOULDER
You wouldn’t plant a seed and then dig it up every few minutes to see if it has grown. So why do you keep questioning yourself, your hard work and your decisions? Have patience, stop overthinking and just keep watering your seeds.
~Steven Bartlett, shared by Diane via The Ripples Convergence
PONDER
Spring has arrived here in Cincinnati, and seeds are definitely sprouting…even in our garage!
Jamie and I have been shacked up for five years, and every spring he sets up a mini-greenhouse in the garage. This means for a few weeks he’ll disappear for a bit each evening after dinner, sometimes announcing “I’m going to talk to my plants” as he descends the back stairs. I get a kick out of observing him as he tends to his chlorophyll kids, excitedly reporting how many new sprouts have popped up from the night before and how much the others have grown.
I confess that I sometimes giggle about all of this (I’m telling you, it’s a full production. There’s even classical music playing down there several hours a day, and he swears it helps them grow!) Mostly though, I’m in deep admiration of him and the tiny living things he tends to. He delights in the steady growth he observes as a patient witness, and I love how well they respond to his nurturing care. While not all of the seedlings end up making it to fully grown plant-hood…they are a tenacious bunch indeed, as tough as they are tender.
The other thing I notice is that even on the most hectic and turbulent of days, Jamie consistently emerges from his daily subterranean observations a little more settled and a little more centered. It does something for him and to him, and I’ve come to think of his “seed whispering” as an essential nutrient in the care and feeding of his own tough and tender spirit.
I’m convinced it’s a combination of patience, persistence and passion that helps my sweetie and his green friends grow, and I think we should all try and find a way to cultivate a bit of each as we tend to the projects, people, and possibilities that are under our care these days.
What seed-watering might help you and the world grow a little this week?
Peace,
Paul
P.S. Shout out to Karen, Steve, Melinda, Jane, Polly, Morgan, Marita, and a few others who recently joined the Team Ripples Patreon Community. It only takes 1% of Ripplers pitching in to keep Ripples free & ad-free for all, and the more folks that join us there, the more fun stuff we can unleash in 2024!
