I’ve had some really outstanding teachers in my lifetime, such as my second grade teacher who planted the seed that I was good at math. My junior high gym teacher truly helped me to believe in myself; to know that there was an athlete inside of me, and I didn’t have to be the last one picked when playing dodgeball. In high school I had a teacher who taught me the nuts and bolts of grammar, which has been a huge help in life, and in college, my humanities professor was passionate about what he taught, and it was contagious. But that was many years ago… Now I have a new teacher and mentor: flowers and nature. They have been an amazing guide for me in the lessons of life.

Now I have a new teacher and mentor: flowers and nature. They have been an amazing guide for me in the lessons of life.

The wind has taught me patience to wait for the right moment. I’ve learned from perennials, bulbs, tubers and seeds in the quiet space of winter, underground and covered in a blanket of snow as they nurture themselves for their blooming season, that I, too, need to take the time to do the same so I can be the best ‘flower’ I can be.

The lesson I’m appreciating the most right now comes from the flower featured above: Borage. I planted it in my first cutting garden four years ago. At the end of each season I take my cutting garden down, and I never think about any of the flowers reseeding themselves. Now four years later in one of my perennial gardens, the Borage reseeded itself and came to full bloom. It taught me that often the seeds we plant in life do bloom, but not always in the way they were originally intended, and we shouldn’t give up on them. It’s not always an easy lesson to have faith in, but it gives me hope, just the same, and teaches me to keep planting my own seeds and to be patient to see them grow because I may be surprised where and when they resurface.

Share with me below: What is a lesson that flowers or nature have taught you?

FEATURED FLOWER
Borage. Photographed in My Cutting Garden.

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