Cultivating a garden...

What's in your garden?

Spring is in the air!  In Colorado, that could mean temperatures in the 80's or the 30's...perhaps in the same day. This weekend was gorgeous and I got a little bug...a gardening bug.  My husband and I went to Home Depot to look for landscaping ideas and to buy a few frost-hearty veggies.  As we were browsing the isles, I found myself drawn mostly to the healthiest, strongest looking plants. The ones with straight stems and deep green leaves.  The weaker, listless plants did not get more than a quick glance.  Why should they, right?  Their spotty appearance and faded color were worrisome.   And after all, I want my garden to thrive.  I want to be able to plant it, water it, weed once in a while, and watch it grow.  Who wouldn't.  Right?  Well, anyway, we left with a bit more than we planned on, but were giddy as we drove home with our healthy plants.  Thoughts of cool breezes, the smell of wet dirt, and soiled hands swirling in our minds.

The drive home seemed to take forever.  I mean I was excited!  The smell of that basil in the backseat nearly killed.  We unloaded the car and I began to prepare our raised beds for planting.  Finally, it was time!  I reached for the basil, and to my absolute horror, discovered that my less-than-an-hour old gorgeous plant was wilted!  WILTED!  Are you kidding me?  I had thoughtfully selected the best looking one.  The strongest one.  The greenest one.  And now, just an hour later, my choice basal looked just like the non-desireable plants I had passed without a second thought.  For some odd reason, this bothered me.  This really, really bothered me.  And I got to thinking...

Do I ever look at children the way I looked at these plants?  Do I look at the smartest, strongest,  well-behaved children, with longing eyes and high expectations, while barely glancing at the struggling, weaker, unruly, children?  I hope not!  Man, I hope not!

Children, and teaching, are my passion.  But I wonder if I don't sometime miss out on an opportunity to enhance my garden.  What if I had chosen that spotty, wilted plant?  What if I planted it, watered it, cared for it,  and had high expectations that it would not only grow, but thrive?

I believe that my garden is diverse.  That it has strong, healthy plants as well as plants struggling to flower.  I believe that I nurture and care for all my plants with the expectation that they can and will blossom.

I believe...but it just got me to thinkin'

~Cab Lover