Simple circle

Yesterday, I cooked one of the spaghetti squash Paul raised this summer. While scraping out the seeds and strings, I heard his voice in my head, reminding me to save the seeds. Of course!

I almost followed a life-long habit of discarding such things. Realizing my near mistake took my thoughts to the simple rewards of growing your own food. We are far removed in this country from the days when saving seed was critical to next year's harvest and sustenance. If we want a vegetable, we go to the store. The process is repeated over and over, multiplied by the millions in the developed world.

Now, I clearly see the value of raising your own food, saving the seed for next year's planting and for sharing with others. Paul is planning a class this spring to share with neighbors what he has learned about gardening in our challenging climate. A seed exchange will be included in the class. It's a wonderful idea and I wish him much success. If no one else is touched by his love of gardening, it's enough that I have been transformed.

Plant
Harvest (and share)
Eat (and share)
Compost
Repeat

Each seed planted is a drop of water. As the drops grow into a puddle, each new drop forms concentric circles that reach further and further, as more and more people reap the benefits of those planted seeds. What a beautiful, simple circle.