This spring, I got a head start on the garden. My grandmother would’ve been proud as I managed to get most things planted before Easter. Of course, this meant covering young plants when frost threatened, but so far, everyone’s making it. The garden includes a few different kinds of tomatoes, squash, peppers, black-eyed peas, beans, baby limas, and a good covering of wildflower seeds along a fence line. (The garden is fenced inside an entire field that’s fenced because of the deer.) Some of the seeds I used this year came from seeds I saved from last year. Which makes me wonder, what is it that enables a hard, dry, and apparently lifeless seed to sprout when planted and exposed to rain and sunshine?

It turns out that seeds are little powerhouses of stored energy just waiting to be activated. (You can see where this will go with my writing comments in a moment :-) This reactivation can take place if three things are present in correct amounts: water, oxygen, and temperature. As a seed takes in water, a class of enzymes (“hydrolase”) becomes active, causing the seed to “wake up” and increase metabolic activities, which creates energy for the growth process. Once the seedling emerges, then photosynthesis takes over, which means the proper balance of light and water is needed to ensure growth.

As writers, we also need the proper combination of things to ensure we begin to emerge and grow. But taking those first steps is a daunting task. I encourage you to find someone, a teacher who can also help as a mentor who simply encourages you to begin expressing yourself with words and art. No worries about being “good enough” to do it. You are. I will forever be grateful to Judy Goldman. My first formal writing class was with her. Judy provides instruction and feedback in an incredibly supportive way. As you open yourself to opportunities to write, you’ll know it when the right teacher comes along. Once on your writing path, you’ll want to care for your emerging talent. Surround yourself with positive, supportive people. Take chances and subscribe to resources such as “Poets & Writers.” Enjoy the warmth of creativity, appreciate the rainy times (growth…!), and remember to breathe. And to exhale. And to enjoy the journey!

Seek wonder. Embrace joy!

Supporting articles: