Earlier this week, I spoke at a GED graduation celebration. In addition to congratulating graduates, I always like to share some story or quote that will honor all that they’ve been through to accomplish their goals. You might not realize it, but the 4 tests required to pass the GED are very difficult. Preparing for them academically is daunting enough, but imagine trying to find the time and/or confidence to do so when you are working multiple jobs, being a parent, dealing with family or medical issues, dealing with homelessness and/or living with the perception that because you did not get a diploma you are not smart.
The story I told speaks to the qualities of resilience, courage, vision, and perseverance these students exhibited in pursuing and achieving their goal of getting their GED. As I spoke to these students, I realized that that what I was sharing really applied to all of us in some, way, shape or form. The story is a true one, and was included in Paul Harvey’s book “The Rest of the Story”.
Several years ago in a small town just outside of Tokyo, a group of men was working on a farm. They were digging into the muddy land, presumably to build or rebuild some type of property. One of the workers dug roughly 18 feet below the ground when he suddenly spotted something buried there and realized that despite having been there for thousands of years it might still be…alive.
He called out to his fellow workers and after some discussion they decided to call in a team of archaeologists. The archaeologists arrived and one of them climbed into the hole to see what the workers had uncovered. Now, this archaeologist had been on many digs and had uncovered various prehistoric specimens including fossilized remains of reptiles and other creatures that had once roamed the Earth but yet what the workers described was something that the archaeologist had never before seen. The archaeologist saw that there was a fossilized canoe in the hole. However, that was not what caused him to jump back in shock. It was what was in the canoe that had stunned him.
The archaeologists believed that the only way to deal with this was to call one of the country’s top scientists, Dr. Ohga. Dr. Ohga arrived and he, too, descended into the ground. The archaeologists and workers heard his sharp intake of breath when he found the specimen. In a shaky, disbelieving voice, he said, “Is it dormant? Can it truly be…alive?”
Dr. Ohga believed in possibilities, so he and his team rushed what they had found to his lab where he created a climate controlled environment which incorporated all of the things he felt the specimen needed if it was going to have any chance of survival. Dr. Ohga and his team watched the specimen in the lab day and night. They had cameras watching the specimen day and night. Finally, after four days, there was perceptible movement from the thing that they had found.
This thing was an ungerminated seed, one that should have been dormant and lifeless. Given that this uncultivated seed had been buried under the Earth for 2,000 years and had not been given the resources that it typically needs to grow, this seed should not have lived. It should not have awoken. And yet, after 4 days, the seed sprouted. After 14 months, the seed blossomed into a beautiful, delicate, pink lotus flower.
You might be wondering how this story could possibly connect to the GED graduates I was speaking to, and how it might possibly connect to all of us in some way. I believe that we all carry seeds around in our heart. These are seeds of dreams that we once had, goals we wanted to accomplish, and/or visions of what could be. Yet, for many of us these seeds get “buried” under the day to day demands of life. Whether it is due to lack of time, lack of courage, or lack of belief, these seeds lie dormant within us. Occasionally, we might take them out, dust them off, and look at them with bittersweet emotions but even then we tend to bury them right back where they were…sometimes we even bury them deeper.
Every single graduate that I spoke to had a seed in the form of their desire to get their GED. Instead of letting that seed remain buried, they believed in its possibility. Through that belief and a great deal of resilience, courage, commitment and vision, they made that seed bear fruit. Like Dr. Ohga, every person that came to that graduation to support a graduate worked with the graduate to create an environment where possibilities became realities and where that seed could grow and thrive.
Everything, every single thing that takes root – be it a tangible thing, an accomplishment, or an idea- starts out as a tiny seed. Like many people I know, I am bewildered, angry, and extremely saddened by recent world events. I keep pondering what I can do to make a change and yet it is seductively easy to be overwhelmed by the scope of and scale at which change needs to occur. This makes it daunting to even begin.
But I can plant a seed. In fact, I can plant several seeds. I can also create an environment in which these seeds grow.
As I will be soon embarking on a trip to Scotland, I recently began researching my heritage. In looking up the crest badge (similar to a coat of arms) on my maternal grandfather’s side, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the motto on our badge, “Amo”, translates to “I love”. Why this touched me so deeply, I cannot say for sure. Perhaps it is because I believe love is the most powerful force in the universe. Perhaps it is because it is inherent part of who we all are deep down in our soul. Or, perhaps it is because I have come to realize that this is the gift I want to share with the world…to awaken others through unconditional love. Ghandi once said “Be the change you wish to see in the world”. Love prevailing over fear and hate on a regular basis is what I wish to see.
So, these are the seeds that I will plant. I will plant seeds of love both with others and within myself. I will create an environment where these seeds can flourish as can the seeds of others with like minded visions and goals. I will believe in the possibility of my dreams and visions of what could be and will act accordingly. It may seem like a small thing, and I suppose it is. Yet, it is often the small things that we do that have an unseen butterfly effect which resonates and results in major transformations. Even if I never see the impact of my actions expand beyond my little corner of the world, I can find peace in knowing that I have, at least, tended my garden well. The fact that a 2,000 year old seed deprived of light, nutrients, and an opportunity to thrive could survive and ultimately grow into something beautiful is a miracle. The fact that someone believed in the possibility of this seed flourishing is a miracle. I believe that if even one seed which I plant takes root and manifests, that is a miracle as well.
What dreams or visions of what could be do you have? What seeds lie dormant in your heart and soul? What will you do to tend your garden? What will you do to provide fertile soil for others’ seeds? What beautiful flowers will you and those around you manifest?
A woman by the name of Mary Cantwell once said, “Gardeners, I think, dream bigger than emperors”.
This world could use an abundance of gardeners right now….