I suppose many gardners will agree that the most satisfying part of their work is watching the growth and blooms from what was planted. However, the real gardners are the ones who find equal satisfaction in the process of tending to their dirt, irregardless of the outcome. I'm not there yet. It's just really hard work. My arms, my legs, my back, my neck...today each are stiff and sore, reminding me that my 87th birthday is just around the bend.
One of the core philosophies that both great thinkers and spiritual leaders embrace is that "God" (or the purpose, the meaning, the divine, the reward) is not found on the mountaintop, at the end of the journey. The reward is found in the journey itself, each step of the way. So it should be with the garden...with the filthy hands, the beating sunshine, the hunched back, the smashed kneecaps, the slow-moving process, and the patience required to wait for its fruition.
I aspire to be that kind of gardner.
