As you might recall, gentle reader, the garden metaphor is one of my favorites. One of the reasons I embrace this metaphor is because it is a paradox: I am BOTH the garden and the gardener. Another reason is because gardens require seeds. And as the gardener of my own garden (my self) I sow seeds. Some of these I find and choose and some of these are given to me by others and I then sow these for any number of reasons: I might choose a seed because it appeals to me; I might choose a seed because some ‘authority’ in my life tells me that it will be ‘good’ for me to sow this seed; I might choose a seed because I am coerced or manipulated into choosing it; I might choose a seed because of a character strength (i.e. virtue) or a character weakness (i.e. vice); there are other reasons that I might choose a particular seed but these few examples should suffice for now [by the by, gentle reader, why do you choose to sow certain seeds in the garden that is you?].
Consider that some seeds come in pairs and that in choosing to sow one the other tags along. Once we have chosen to sow a particular seed we then must choose whether to allow them to lie dormant or whether to nurture them into life. The time it takes for a seed to be ready for harvesting varies greatly; if we nurture the seed in certain ways it will, at some time, be ready for harvesting. We then share the abundance of our harvest with ourselves and with others; in sharing we also pass along more seeds to be sown and the cycle continues [we also receive the harvest and the seeds from others].
Consider, gentle reader, some seed-pairs that are common to us humans – these are listed in no particular order. You might pause and reflect upon each pair and think of the ways that you nurture each into life; which you harvest and give to others. You might also think about your favorite ways of nurturing and/or of sharing your harvest with others.
Apathy – Engagement
Resignation – Surrender
Dogma – Critical Thinking
Surety – Doubt
Indifference – Compassion
Resistance – Experimenting
Compliance – Commitment
Adaptation – Co-Creation
Buy In – Emotional Ownership
Pessimist – Optimist
Despair – Hope
Dishonesty – Integrity
Unprincipled – Scrupulous
Shunning – Welcoming
Intolerance – Forbearance
Patient – Restless/Agitated
It seems to me that one definition of ‘maturity’ involves our accepting that as ‘mature humans’ we can – and do – accept the responsibility and response-ability for choosing which seeds to nurture, harvest and share and which seeds to accept from others and which of these to sow, nurture, harvest and share. So, I ask myself: ‘Which seeds are you going to nurture today?’
Searcher-Seeker 
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