One Step One Seed

A garden. Strawberries. Broccoli. Cucumbers. All flourishing. My mom was there too. It has been 8 years since her passing. She was smiling.

In this dream I was surprised and so happy.

I have never planted a vegetable garden in my life.

Last year I grew basil. One plant. I picked its leaves all year and loved every meal I used it for.

I woke up thinking about new beginnings. How could I not?

It is May. Graduations are happening everywhere. Caps and gowns flying. No more syllabus. No more rubric. No grade at the end of the semester. The quiet internal question every new graduate carries.

Can I actually do this?

Not for anyone else. For themselves.

Class of 2026

I thought about Jack. He walked out the door Tuesday for his first day. And I stood there doing what every parent does in that moment.

I let go and watched him move forward.

No one grows a garden all at once. They plant one thing and anxiously await the growth. Then they plant something else.

No college graduate is sitting around thinking about gardening. But Confucius knew something they did not.

"It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop." - Confucius

While the newest graduates take their first steps, learning in new ways, I will plant my first cucumber.

One step at a time. Or in my case one seed. Then the next.