To plant is to wait. To wonder. To patiently care for fragile plants. It’s often tiresome and tedious. It’s counter to most experiences in our modern society. How might this exercise of planting and nurturing a slow-growing garden contribute to the development of {my son’s} character in a society grown on a system of fast food, no-need-to-wait, I-can-have-it-all beliefs? How are we teaching our children the discipline of waiting patiently, working persistently and continuing to cultivate good things even when there’s no sign of growth or reward? How will they know that some of the best things in life are worth waiting and working for? How are we helping them realize the value of not giving into what’s here and easily available now, but to sit by the garden of their lives and actively wait, nurturing their character and personalities until one day, the opportunity they have been waiting for arrives, making them realize the pre-packaged, over-marketed convenience of here-and-now is so stale, unsatisfying, and tasteless?
Amelia Rhodes
“Planting patience” in Topology Magazine
