With the first bite
of the spading fork, I was surprised anew by the rich, dark soil.
A dozen years ago,
it was little more than sand. With the added challenges of Colorado's
dry climate and short growing season, I wondered if gardening would
be a waste of time.
For some crops, it
was. I discovered that with the cool nights at our 6,800-foot
elevation, I could forget about getting ripe tomatoes. But potatoes
and carrots? Wow!
Still, not at
first. Success came only after I'd spent a few seasons improving the
soil. Each fall I'd use a mulching mower to shred our crop of aspen
leaves, spread them over the garden, and dig them in.
Year by year, the
ground became more fertile. And the crops grew more fruitful.
But it's never
easy. Before I plant, I'll need to turn over the ground a few more
times, clear some sticks, roots, and old stalks, and smooth the
surface. I'll need to decide what seeds to buy and actually plant
them. Then comes a season of waiting, watering, and weeding.
Only then, if all
the conditions prove right, comes a harvest.
Gardening reminds
me of writing. Especially improving the soil. If you long for a
harvest of publication, I hope you're enriching your garden plot by
investing in classes, critiques, coaching, and conferences.
Compost whatever
you can, like rejections or projects that cease to bloom. Take those
experiences and work them into the ground of resources, skills, and
experiences from which you write.
Then if you plant
something, it just might grow.
5 comments:
Nice analogy, Andy. You reminded me of this quote from Tolkien:
“One writes such a story not out of the leaves of trees still to be observed nor by means of botany and soil-science; but it grows like a seed in the dark out of the leaf-mould of the mind: out of all that has been seen or thought or read, that has long ago been forgotten, descending into the deeps. No doubt there is much selection as with a gardener: what one throws on one’s personal compost-heap; and what my mould is evidently made largely of linguistic matter.”
(Tolkien: The Authorized Biography by Humphrey Carpenter. Pg. 126)
Enjoyed this post. Such great visuals to apply to the unseen stirrings within.
So very important to do our prep work no matter what we are doing with our lives.
Rick:
That quote looks vaguely familiar. I probably read it decades ago, and its been composting in my mind since.
Great word picture. :-) Makes me itch to get into some dirt.
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