I once heard a story about a farmer.
“What do you do for a living?”
“I'm a farmer.”
“Oh, how interesting. What do you grow?”
“I don't grow anything.”
“What kind of animals do you raise?”
“I don't raise animals.”
“I'm confused. You're a farmer, but you don't grow anything or raise animals. What do you do?”
“I plant seeds and tend to the soil. What comes out of the ground might be beans or corn - and I harvest what grows. But farmers don't grow anything. They simply create the conditions in which something can grow.”
We are all farmers. What are you trying to grow?
More peace?
Happiness?
Confidence?
Connection?
Hope?
What if, instead of focusing so intently on getting those things, you focused on cultivating the conditions in which they can grow?
Tend the soil of your life.
Prepare it.
Plant the seeds of intention.
Remove what is choking growth.
Nourish what you want to cultivate.
Remain present through every season.
Be patient.
Trust that just because you cannot see anything growing doesn't mean nothing is happening.
