Interesting the sayings, quotes and proverbs that come from gardening. “Oh, she’s such a late bloomer!” and we all know our share of ‘bad apples’. It used to be people grew their own food and the adages represented everyday life. Now days a person has to dig for that hidden wisdom. Here’s some great advice straight from the garden.

The early bird gets the worm. Words to live by. In short, be on time. Or better yet be early. People who are on time are more likely to be dependable and diligent in their work ethics and personal relationships. It also shows that you respect others and their time.  Additional benefits of being on time are improving your own confidence and self-esteem as well as setting a positive example for your children. It’s not always easy to do, but well worth the extra effort.

You reap what you sow. What comes around goes around. Karma. You get the picture. One thing about a garden is it’s reflective of the grower. As with a garden or life, a person’s actions have consequences. If it’s tended, watered and nurtured it will yield results.

He who has a garden and a library wants for nothing (Si hortum in bibliotheca habes, deerit nihil- Marcus Tullius Cicero). This quote is old. Before the Bible old. So, like the Bible there may be more than one interpretation on this piece of advice. One theory could be; if one has a garden their bodies are fed, if one has a library their minds are. Read, learn, stretch your mind.

This is all sound advice that come from the garden. There are those that believe life began in a garden. Others say those that garden believe in tomorrow. Either way, there is nothing like homegrown vegetables to feed the body and spirit. Gardening teaches life lessons such as responsibility, patience and gratitude not to mention the miracle of science.

Personal note: When I was young, I couldn’t keep a houseplant alive let alone entertain the idea of a garden that actually produced vegetables. I was also habitually late for everything I did, (friends and family would take bets on just how late I would be.) Back then, the only person that really mattered to me was me. Rarely did I challenge myself as I was struggling to get by day to day. Life was the task.

Now that I’m older (and much wiser) I have the patience and dedication that it takes to have a garden. I’ve learned the above lessons; yea, I’m the late bloomer (lol). And I know, life is truly like a garden. What you put into it is what you get out of it. Now I’m on-time, so much so on-time is late. Other things in my world have changed for the better and I have to stop and ask myself which came first? The changes I made, then the garden; or did the garden come in my life and then I made specific changes? To me, it’s all relevant. Thanks for reading.

Photo credit: DW Plato