We have all been surrounded with the messages of hope and community during this unprecedented season and while it warms our heart to see the world coming together like it never really has before we are soon going to be out of this little window and it is making us pause to think of how we will look on the other side.
Maybe a few pounds heavier *ahem quarantine banana bread*, maybe a little more WFH savvy, and maybe, if we are lucky (and diligent), possessing a new skill to tack onto our proverbial tool belt. Some of us took up baking, some of us started to strum the guitar that has been restrung and sitting in the living room for 6 months, and some of us took up small scale farming (aka windowsill gardening).
The point is we took time to do in this time of separation and otherwise relative idleness. Yes, we walk the dog now more than ever before - there is no tree on the block that has not been sniffed and peed on a couple hundred times - but we also decided to take the time to better ourselves. Well maybe not better ourselves, but definitely make ourselves a little more well rounded. We took time to step out of our comfort zone a notch or two, to see if we could really knack it as a baker, artist, or farmer.
You see, gardening is not as easy as one would think. Pots, soil, plants, water … right? I mean how could you possibly not be able to grow a little basil and cilantro? Whelp turns out sunlight and airflow are important. Do you know what else matters? The amount of water at different stages of the growth cycle - yea we didn’t know that the start. Also, cilantro, flowers, and while they are cute, they are a sign that you are not pruning quickly enough nor very effectively when you do. Because there is a correct way to do that, you don’t just snip and go.
See. Learning.
Well a couple masked trips to Lowe’s and a whole lot of YouTube video watching and there is finally a small farm thriving out back and it is a little surprising how exciting that small achievement is.
So we pass the challenge to you - what do you want to look like after this season comes to an end? What are you doing today to make you a better you, or at least a more agriculturally aware, you?