Summer Garden

Today the boys and I picked beans from the garden. My parents always remembered their childhood gardens fondly, how the radishes were always redder and more flavorful, and how everything just tasted earthier and better. I watched my boys as they picked beans, snapping them off the leaves and crunching them in their teeth before they ever made it to the bowl. It's funny how planting something from a seed, tending to it, watering and weeding it then finally seeing it sprout will make a child eat pretty much any vegetable. They love being part of the process.

If my life were a garden, this season feels like the watering and weeding phase. The seeds are planted and beginning to sprout, and while I certainly get small fruits here and there life is largely caring for things (home, children) and weeding out the things that don't serve us or could potentially disrupt our homeostasis. While there are moments I crave the harvest, there is a true joy to be found in the midst of the pre-harvest tending. Work feels good, and seeing my work affect and grow things feels good. There is something satisfying about watching the life I've created unfold and bloom before my very eyes... to watch my children's personalities and interests emerge and to see my home become cozier by the day as I slowly and thoughtfully decorate it. To create a safe and healthy space for the people I love to flourish and grow to maturity- I think this is sweeter than any other season. My job is not done, my purpose is still strong and I still have time.

This is the summer season of my life, and I am truly enjoying it.