I often think, "What have I gotten myself into?!" When the alarm clock goes off at 5:30 and I find myself crawling back in bed late in the evening, this thought crosses my mind. When I tackle a mountain of laundry or finally get around to wrangling the dust bunnies in my house, this thought crosses my mind. When I'm hip deep in paperwork, logging miles in the Jeep, crunching numbers with farmers, or volunteering my time in my community, that little thought doesn't even occur to me!
My momma often tells me,"You're too busy!" My dog, Sophie, and my poor little garden would agree with her. That poor little garden started out as a new adventure for me. I've never put out my own garden. I grew up on fresh produce from my momma's garden. For years I watched her pick and clean and can veggies. I often got the fun task of cleaning the Mason jars for use in the canning process. I can still remember tracing that Ball symbol on the jar for the first time, imagining my great grandmother using those same Ball jars to feed her family all those years ago.
I tried to grow a garden. I really did. I leveled the soil and I made all the preparations. I planted the seeds and a few plants, praying for a miracle to prove I could really grow something! Okay, looking back I realize planting seeds in May might not have been the best idea. In fact, now I know why my momma always bought pepper plants and tomato plants, among others. Nonetheless, I had faith in those little seeds! I watered and I added miracle gro to try to speed up the process. Eventually I had a little garden full of cute little plants.
I was so excited for all the peppers and tomatoes and broccoli and okra I was going to harvest. My mouth watered at the thought of the sweet corn I'd soon be harvesting!
Have you ever tried to grow a garden during a drought?
I learned an important lesson this summer. I realized the importance of using your resources to get ahead. I'm not talking about cheating. I'm not talking about being dishonest. I'm simply saying that if I had started that garden from plants instead of seed, I'd have been munching on delicious greens from my garden!
In life we talk about chasing our dreams and going after what we want. I would be willing to bet that some of the most successful entrepreneurs would agree that they had a little help along the way. You see, if I had applied for my current job right out of high school, I wouldn't have stood a chance. Instead, I used my resources to get an education and learn about AG sales before I tried to chase that dream job.
Sure life is busy. It's messy and chaotic, but I wish more people would take the time to try to grow something beautiful. Grow a garden. Grow some flowers. Grow yourself.
-The Mason Jar Diva
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