Have you ever wondered what life might be like if you were a seed? It might be rather extraordinary, considering all that just one little bitty seed can do.
Let’s say we’re all little brown seeds with hard outer shells. How will we ever burst forth and grow into stunningly beautiful flowers, or something yummy to eat? First, we need to land onto our growing medium, usually soil, and get buried to just the right depth. Will we be carried by wind, spit out by a bird, dropped from an animal’s fur, or mail ordered and carefully planted by an enthusiastic gardener? Whether we sprout from rain or heat or even wildfire, it will all depend on which kind of seed we are. Mother Nature, amazingly, has figured out all sorts of strategies for us seeds to crack through our protective casings. But, perhaps the most important question is: will we grow where we’re planted?
If we do, it’s like magic. After all, the odds are stacked against a seed to have its sprout ever see the light of day. Sometimes they get buried too deep to receive the sun’s nourishing warmth, sometimes they land in a puddle of water and just rot, and sometimes they are eaten and that’s the end of that. But what of the brave little flower growing in a crack along a sidewalk? A flower like this is enough to give us courage to keep on with whatever it is we are doing, no matter how hard it seems at the time. Growing where we are planted may not always be easy to do, but a sidewalk flower proves that it is entirely possible.
Despite all the difficulties for a sidewalk flower to live to maturity, it’s like a miracle when it does. Because that means the flower has not only found the energy to grow up under challenging conditions, it has also found a way to save for the future by developing some seeds of its own. When a humble sidewalk flower finds its place in the circle of life, can it get any better than that?
If we think of ideas as seeds – which they very often are – isn’t it just as wonderful when they get picked up and carried, too? Like seeds, new ideas often have it tough in their early days. It’s no less a miracle when a new idea comes to fruition. For new ideas are like seeds of hope: hope that things will get better; hope that tense issues will resolve peaceably; hope that our ways of thinking and being will be revolutionized in a good sort of way.
I tend to get giddy with excitement when it comes to new ideas. They have so much potential in them, just like little brown seeds which turn into fabulous blooms of heady scent and magnificent colour.
How wonderful our world would be if only we could come up with creative new ideas for living sustainably on this planet we call home. Well, guess what? People all over have been coming up with world-changing sustainable ideas for some time. (A Google search proves it.) All it takes is for the rest of us to each grab hold of a world-changing idea that resonates and then run with it. Collectively, our actions will have power, resilience, and beauty – just like our sidewalk flower.
And, through our actions, we will spread seeds of change ourselves while positioning ourselves securely in the circle of life. Recognizing and acting upon exciting seeds of change, especially those with the potential to leave the world a better place for future generations—now that’s in our best interest.
For more in your best interest, follow Sheelagh @sheesays or visit www.ideagarden.net
