My name is Cynthia, and I have a black thumb. If there were a 12-Step Program for failed gardeners, I would go there, stand before the group, and confess to my total inability to nurture plants. I can simply glance at a hanging pot of flowers and the leaves begin to wilt. But somehow, my little patch of raspberries and black raspberries thrives every year, and along about mid-summer we’re rewarded with a few weeks of juicy ripe berries. The entire harvest comes to maybe 8 or 10 cups of berries, tops, but while they last we savor them.

Raspberriesspoon.jpg

Robert Fulghum may have learned everything he needed to know in Kindergarten, but I thank my berry patch for constantly reminding me of some of life’s most important lessons.

Be patient. Some days I can find only three or four ripe berries. I’m tempted to take the ones that aren’t quite ready yet, but when I tug on that light red raspberry, it resists my pull. (I’m not ready yet.. you know I’ll just fall into your hand when I’m really ripe.) I let go, and am rewarded the next day with dozens of perfectly ruby or black jewels.

Ripeandnot.jpg

Look at life from many perspectives. Many times I look at the bushes and think I’ve picked all the berries, but then I lean over and look at the same bush from the bottom… or turn around and simply look toward the house instead of toward the pond… and suddenly I can see a wealth of ripe berries that were invisible from my former point of view. I can miss so much that’s important, when I only look at things one way.

Take the good with the bad. On the one hand, I want to pick today’s berries. On the other hand, the mosquitoes like that bit of flat land down by the pond’s edge, too. Oh well. Organic raspberries are worth the price.

Colanderofberries.jpg

Be generous. Our harvest is so small that it’s hard to share, but the pleasure of a ripe berry is contagious. If the neighbors are out watering their flowers, or sunning in their yard, I’ll hold my colander full of berries out to them, and offer them a taste. “These came from your yard?” they say. “They’re so good.” The berries flourish in spite of me, not because of me, and yet I glow with pride.

Berrypatch.jpg

Live in the moment. In just a few weeks, the berries are done for the year. While they last, it’s important to pick every day, and appreciate each berry individually. If there were more of them, or if they lasted longer, I’d miss this intense go-for-it-now feeling. It reminds me not to take for granted any of the good things in life, but to relish them while I have them.  — Cynthia

 


Add a Comment