Two Important Lessons from Plants

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My bubba buddy, Robert reminds me it’s the beginning of the month. This is when a group of us write a blog post on What I Learned From … This month, the topic is What I Learned From the Plant World.

1. Garlic scapes are some of the best food grown in the garden. You can’t really buy them in the store, you have to grow them in the garden. I’ve been cutting the tops of my garlic plants all summer and adding them to food. They are not as strong as garlic, but just as good. My favorite? Put them in foil, add a little olive oil, barbeque on the grill – and eat. Here’s a recipe for garlic scapes pesto.

I learn patience from my garlic scapes. You have to plant the bulbs in the fall, wait all winter and watch them grow in spring and summer. We’re talking half a year of waiting!

2. It usually rains when you don’t want it too. This summer, it’s rained a lot. I’m on vacation this week and the first day out – it rained. So instead of running around here and there and playing on the beach and being in crazy mind for vacation — I took a nap. A great, stretched out over the bed laying in the breeze Oh My God kind of nap. That nap set the pace for this much needed vacation. It slowed me down. Way down. Made me breath deep. Take a moment for myself nap.

How’s that tied into the plant world? Plants need the rain and are not on the same schedule we are. They don’t set their growing schedule, God does. Their schedule works for them. God made a plan for plants and pretty consistently year after year they follow it. They have to have the help of others though — rain, sun, warm air. Plants are teaching me to create a schedule that works for me. Part of that schedule is consistent down time – it’s necessary for growth. The rain made that possible for me yesterday.

Patience and planning — two very important elements to a successful business. Wouldn’t you say?

Here’s the link to Robert’s site, just in case you might want to join the group writing project.