When I was a kid in grade school I remember that I often looked out the window and was more interested in what was going on outside than what the class was supposed to be doing. I am not saying that I did this often, as my memory of 4th or 5th grades is rather faded, but I do remember the teacher attempting to redirect my attention on several occasions. In today’s world I would most likely be classified as ADD and given some sort of drug in an attempt to “fix” my problem.

What I just described in three sentences was a random thought that I had as I began to describe another thought that floated to the top of my awareness as I drove to work this morning. And as I “thought” about this thought, I became aware of the difficulty we sometimes have when we try and use our words and sentences in order to shape our thoughts into something we can understand and impart their meaning to others.

Just before getting into my car this morning and driving to work, I took the almost mandatory, early morning garden walk in order to check out the progress of what I had planted. There had been a light, steady rain during the night and the air was especially fresh above the moist soil.

I was most happy with the fact that the corn seed I had planted just seven days prior was popping out of the ground and had reached about one inch in height. It had rained for at least a week before corn planting and I was pushing it to till the somewhat wet soil and work it up in order to facilitate the seeds being placed into the furrows I created to receive them.

Bear in mind that last year I had to re-plant at least three times due to torrential rains washing everything out. Add that to the years that it was to dry after planting and the seeds took a long time to germinate or the year that the crows ate it all.

But this year, all the conditions that allow a seed to sprout and grow were in my favor. After the rain, the weather was mostly warm and sun-shiney, perfect conditions for the farmer or gardener to grow a crop or two. If the soil is to wet, to dry or to cold seeds won’t germinate. In other words, the conditions have to be just right in order for a crop to form.

As I thought about this natural dynamic I also was amazed at how what happens in nature is like what happens to us from a physiological standpoint.

Lets say you want to start exercising, go on a diet to lose some weight or quit drinking coffee or any of the other multitude of changes we might want to make to our everyday lives. If the conditions are not right, the changes will never take place or will only last long enough for us to feel guilty about not following through. Just like in nature, our nurture has to find favorable conditions in order to flourish.

Just like it says in Ecclesiastes, there is a time to sow and a time to reap, an appropriate time for all things under heaven. Now it’s time to stop typing and start my day. Hopfully your ride will be a good one as well.