The close of the year is always a time for reflection and anticipation. Reflecting on the moments that made up the year and anticipation for what’s to come in the next. I’ve been thinking a lot about the word “moments” for some reason.
We judge our own lives and the lives of others by the big moments in our lives. Events that transform our lives or that bring us attention and praise. I think we even judge our gardens in the same way. When we see a fruit tree in harvest or a tomato plant filled with plump, ripe fruit, we admire it, we are in awe of it, and if it is in our neighbor’s yard, we might even be a little jealous of it.
We focus on this big moment. That point where a tree or plant has grown enough to bear a full, bountiful harvest. But it isn’t that moment that was the most important to the tree. In fact, for the tree it was a series of little moments throughout its life that got it to that point.
It started at planting time, when its gardener used rich soil, fertilizer, and planted it properly in the perfect sunny area. Then each morning through the first months of its life, as its gardener dutifully watered it, the tree took in each of those little moments. In the summer, when the rains stopped for a few weeks, but its gardener made sure it got a drink, that was a little moment. A cold night when its gardener kept it warm and snug with a frost blanket. That spring season when it was pruned just right to keep its branches going. These are the moments that mattered for the tree and probably for the gardener as well.
We spend our lives anxious about big moments and future moments. We worry about the harvest and ignore all the little moments of joy that make up the journey. Sure, the harvest is big and flashy. It’s the thing that gets noticed. But our joy and happiness aren’t made up of those big moments, rather, they are the sum of the little moments along the way.
My wish for you as we begin 2024 is that you allow yourself to enjoy the little moments. In the garden planting flowers and through all of life’s ups and downs. Find joy in the little things, the average things, the things that don’t feel like much, but that you realize much later made all the difference.
There are so many moments to enjoy in the garden, and if you’ve got a little time off this week, what a perfect opportunity to get your hands dirty. We’ll be open today, Friday, and Saturday for our normal hours of 9 am to 5 pm and are closed Sunday and Monday for the New Year Holiday. From all of us at Kerby’s, we wish you a very Happy New Year, may it be one filled with joy and contentment in all the little things in life.
