Green Gold

Author: Bitha Sadanandan
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I am a seed. I have come to find myself in this soil, in this geography, with whatever it has at this point in time on this place called Earth. The soil is not ideal. I know it used to be because the soil has the flavor of what used to be. Never mind. I have life; I'll find a way. I gotta. Now, how can I do that? Let me feel the soil around. I cannot see yet for I am in deep dirt, but I can feel. Looks like I gotta till this soil a bit before I can breathe well. Let me do that from both my ends, with my roots and shoots. Perhaps this is also what they meant by ‘burning the candle on both ends.’ Who says anything about burning out? Maybe it is burning whatever is not mine until I come to my lean mass! I am meristematic on both ends. I will feel my way through the soil until I find some rich growing material. My skin and the nature of touch I experience will tell me what is good and bad. Patience. Patience. More patience. It is there. Keep feeling. More patience. Wait, I am growing while I am seeking and searching! My roots and shoots are growing stronger! Sisyphus pushing the rock up the hill was not for waste! Good for me. It will come handy later. Perseverance. I am growing. I am making it to the sunlight, that’s it. Perseverance. Keep on. Wait, there are others around? Ok they are doing their thing. I gotta do mine. Keep on. Heave ho! On. Breathe. In breath, out breath. Extend, contract and relax. Rinse and repeat. Stretch my limits. There are parasites around attempting to feed on anything that has life - me?! I gotta figure out and develop a thick hide and adjust acidity/alkalinity to suit my need. They don’t talk of survival of the fittest for nothing, right? I manage to be born into the light. (I did that!)
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I sit on my desk job. New soil. Rinse and repeat the above process? Umm..the soil is not the same as hitherto far experienced. Each day has a different date that has never been before. Different composition every day. But, I am a seed nevertheless and this is basically soil nevertheless for the best of me is in the making and the soil I am in is through where I grow and become. I am bigger and stronger from persevering to grow and learning to survive through the different soils I have found myself in hitherto far. I have that! Rinse and repeat it is. Now, what does this soil have? All kinds of living organisms. They even pose to be well-wishers and nourishers and bracket themselves into friends, families and enemies. I can rebracket them, of course. They come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. They are all related to me by how I feel in my skin about them. My relationship with them changes when how I feel in my skin changes in being in contact with them during my everyday whatnots. Some claw at me, some feed off me, some nurture me, some protect. But, it is my journey through to my sunlight and I am my kind of seed. I remember that there are all kinds of seeds. Some seeds sprout with just a little water. Some needs a little burning before they are warm enough to sprout. Some sprout only after a rainfall. Some needs a forest fire followed by a rain to begin to sprout. Each seed is unique and hence the kind of seed I am needs my kind of seasoning/conditioning/nourishment. “One man’s food is another man’s poison” and all that. I become my kind of tree by maneuvering through the soil the way I need to move however the soil is, for this is the soil I am in. The river water just flows to the Ocean; rocks and plants and whatnots are ‘training material’ to be flowed around, over, or by for my destination is the Ocean. As is for the water, so it is for the seed that I am. As I till my soil better, I just as well as whosoever is in this soil gets to breathe better. I get to grow!
I place a plant in a pot on my desktop to remind me of the fact that I am a force of Nature; I am a seed living this moment in time in this soil and sprout I will. I just need to figure out how to stretch and get to that rich nutrient nurturing source, and keep being nourished by it, that will get me to see the
light that is best for my growth at this point in time for me to become the tree that I am meant to be. This plant on my desktop will keep my perspective in place. I need this reminder.
I am a seed, and so are you.