Lessons From Nature - Grow Where You Are Planted
The Lessons From Two Lemon Seeds
Nestled on top a mountain overlooking the vast expanse of the ocean in the Virgin Islands, I found myself building a house in what many would consider paradise. But even paradise, has its share of challenges.
Amid the breathtaking beauty of this idyllic setting lay a formidable challenge – the notorious "Blue Bitch" rock.
"What on earth is Blue Bitch?", you may be wondering.
Well, “Blue Bitch” is renowned as one of the toughest rocks in this part of the world.
While elsewhere, it might take a mere four hours for a tractor or bacho to dig the foundation of a new house, here on “Blue Bitch” mountain, a whole day's worth of digging would barely make a dent in just one foot of this impenetrable rock.
But why choose to build on such unforgiving terrain, you ask?
The answer lies in the harsh reality of living in a hurricane-prone region.
To withstand the ferocious winds and battering storms that sweeps in from the ocean each hurricane season, a solid house foundation is non-negotiable.
And “Blue Bitch”, for all its challenges, offers precisely that – a rock-solid anchor in the face of nature's vexed fury.
The Downside of "Blue Bitch"
While “Blue Bitch” provides security against the elements, it also presents its own set of limitations, particularly when it comes to gardening.
You see, the very qualities that make it an ideal foundation, render it inhospitable to the lush vegetation.
Trees with taproots struggle to take hold, their delicate roots unable to find a foothold into the rocks.
If you do get trees to grow, they barely survive on the little top-soil that sits on top of the “Blue Bitch” rocks, scorched by the relentless heat radiating from the sunbaked rocks that sits in the sun all day.
Yet, amid this harsh unforgiving landscape – the story of the two lemon seed unfolds.
Seven years earlier, two lemon seeds made their way in a suitcase, from their native home of Trinidad, where there are no lack of sun, rain and rich soil, ideal conditions for a lemon seed to thrive.
Struggle to Stay Alive
Against the backdrop of “Blue Bitch's” formidable presence, I dreamed of a seemingly impossible mission – to create a “Garden of Eden” in this unforgiving terrain. I collect seeds, plant them, and see what grows.
Undeterred by the warnings that I could never get anything to grow here, except cactuses’ and the famous, stubborn “tan tan” shrubs that everyone loves to hate, I decided to plant my lemon seeds anyway.
The first few years was spent in a pots, careful nurtured and protected, until they outgrew the pot, and was ready to be put into the ground.
From the time I put them down in the yard, the lemon trees saw more than their share of problems.
The lemon trees endured not one, but two Category 5 hurricanes, their branches battered and broken several times by the ferocious unforgiving winds.
In addition to nature's wrath, they faced relentless assaults from the deer and iguanas that often wonder by, delighting on the juicy lemon-flavored treat.
There were times, I thought the lemon trees were never going to make it.
Yet, in-spite of the dry harsh ground it was planted, with the regular chaos and destruction, the lemon trees persisted, their roots finding small crevice to borrow through and hang on for dear life.
And then, one miraculous morning – delicate white flowers adorning its branches. The tree had beaten the odds.
A thing of Beauty
Today, as I look out my kitchen window, watching the sun come up over the ocean, reflecting off the rain drops still dripping off the leaves of the lemon trees, I can't help but feel the determination and pride of two seeds that against all odds, grew into the trees that was in their DNA.
Standing a few feet away from my kitchen walls, filling the air with lemon balm, which announced the birth of more lemon seeds, that got me thinking…
Nature has a way of ignoring all the evidence that says it can’t!. That Its not possible....
The conditions were not the perfect conditions for this seed.
But here it is. Some seven years later, rooted and blossoming where it was planted. The conditions may not be ideal, but that seed did not care.
It was not guided by all the reasons it was unable to strive. But only that it was a seed, designed to grow and bear more fruits.
It did not sit there pining about what it did not have.
How unfortunate it was.
How unlucky it was, to have been chosen to take that plain ride many years ago.
How exposed it was to the daily gush of wind that is capable of throwing down a house.
No, it stood there, and determined that it was going to be the best lemon tree it could be, despite of its circumstances.
And so it stands. In its full glory. A few feet from my kitchen window, demonstrating that you can grow right where you are planted.
What Are You Waiting On To Grow?
Unlike the lemon seed that grew anyway, in-spite of not being in ideal conditions, it often feels like we are in a perpetual state of waiting for permission to blossom.
We wait for the perfect moment, the ideal circumstances, the right opportunities.
We wait to be older, wiser, richer.
We wait for relationships to flourish.
We wait for careers to take off, dreams to come true.
We wait for the children to grow up
We wait for the "right" mate...
But in this endless waiting, we delay our own unfolding, our own blossoming. We waste time, by not using what we have available, in the present moment.
Life is not about waiting for things to happen; it is about moving forward on the journey with what you have.
It is about seizing the opportunities right in front of you, and making the most of every experience, regardless of timing or conditions.
I must admit, my life did not turn out as planned. The truth be told, the past few years have unfolded like a bad movie script. But while I took time to disconnect to tend to my wounds, I also started to grow by becoming creative by focusing and building thing I care about.
Instead of waiting for life to present you with the right conditions, the right soil, the right ingredients, the right location, the right amount of money, the right family, etc, etc.. why not grow where you are planted?
You would be amazed at the fruits you can bear!
Ready to Grow?
June Sennon
A Self-Professed Survivor Of A 21-Year Long Dysfunctional Relationship | That Went From Broken Wings To Soaring Spirits
"Breaking Free From A Toxic Relationship Requires You To Change, not him"
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