I Like It Better Now

I should think that a characteristic of our Society is "I want it and I want it now." That Me-centered approach has put us outside the cycles of Nature, or worse yet, has put us in a position to "force" our whims on Nature. Who is in charge here?

When I travel the Produce Aisle of the Conventional Grocery Store, I am confused about what is in Season and what might be Local. It is true that I could get price reductions on greater volumes of certain produce when in season. That should give me a clue.

However, generally, those Produce Aisles look much the same 24/7 and 365 or 366 days of the year. I could get Tomatoes, Peppers, Sweet Corn, Melons, Apples, Oranges, Bananas, Strawberries just about any time I should want them. Never mind, they have been grown long distances from my Plate which means that transportation qualities overide taste; plus, they are typically grown on impoverished Soils. The Taste and Vitality of those Conventional Offerings pale in comparison with similar produce in season from our Garden. No, we have no Bananas.

We have been gardening for many years and most seriously the last 10. I admit that I page through those Garden Catalogs around the Holiday Season and I salivate. I love those Photos and Illustrations. Coming in the dark of Winter, I am lulled into believing that "I could grow this" and "I could grow that." While I know that things are best in Season, I am fooled momentarily to believe that the Veggies that I produce will be mirror images of the Produce I see in those much loved Catalogs.

Gardening has taught us that "I want it and I want it now" just does not compute. We have a larger force at work here and her name is Nature. That means that we Humans can plant the Seeds and planting Seeds is surely a form of Hope and Possibility. But there are no Guaruntees. Reduction in Production can be attributed to: Weather issues matched or not matched to Plant Needs, condition of Soil, Drainage, Weeds, Bugs, Varmints, and Humans who are known to run out of Steam.

Growing a Garden and attempting to produce most of one's own Food is an Exercise in Humility. We Humans in our Society surely could use a dose of that. This simple act puts us in a place of recognizing who is in charge. We aren't.

While I cruised those Grocery Store Aisles for many years and I frankly didn't think about Seasons or Nature, I like it better now. I seem to Ebb and Flow based on the larger Ebb and Flow of this great Creation. At last, I think I am beginning to know my place in the Great Scheme of things. I am deeply grateful for that too.