I hear all the time that simply smiling at other people plants a seed, but that has failed to resonate with me. Sure, smiling at people is all fine and dandy but when people smile at me, I smile back and that's that. It's just etiquette to smile and acknowledge people as they pass you, not praiseworthy kindness. Smiling at someone does not plant a seed. Planting a seed is an action, and with every action it requires effort.
Every gardener, if they are gardening right, has a little sweat on their brow, and gets frustrated from time to time. It's the mark of a dedicated gardener to have sunburn and dirt, and often nothing to show for it. It's much the same for people, but if you can imagine, a tad more challenging. people are definitely higher maintenance than crops; they are people after all. I have found that as I am walking around on campus (yes, I do smile at people, but that's not the point), I look at people and wonder who they are, what their name is, what their major is, why they're attending BYU instead of another university, and why they wear what they wear, go where they go, do what they do.. I want to know them. It's very strange for me, because I say all the time that I'm not a people person, and I still don't think that I am, but that doesn't mean that I can't look at people and want to know who they are, and it doesn't mean I can't wish to help them in whatever way possible.
Not that I go around looking at people thinking, "I should plant a seed in that person, they need to grow," But I think its important that we at least look to influence the lives of the people around us by doing a little bit more than just smiling.
First, I think gardeners don't just pick a seed they've never heard of before to plant, they start with things they know, and love. Likewise, look at the people you know in your life. Just being a friend can help them in ways that we cannot imagine. I cannot begin to list the people who have influenced my own life just by being there to listen when I needed to vent, giving me a reason to laugh, a reason to hope, a reason to be happy.
Second, gardeners don't just plant the seed and leave it alone, it has to be nourished. Sometimes we can be the one to plant the seed, and someone else takes the opportunity to nourish it, give it water, while we watch. I think, though, if we have the chance, we should be looking after the people we love continuously. It's not enough to be a friend just once, to be a sister once, and call it good. Growth is a continual process, we should treat it as such.
We never will know what our efforts will bring, because the apple trees that spring from these seeds we are planting will either bear fruit or they won't, but regardless of the outcome we should continue to reach out to those around us. You can count the seeds in an apple. You can count how many people you've reached out to, and hope that they pay it forward, but it doesn't matter. You can't count the apples in a seed. So keep trying. Plant a garden, and watch it grow.
Every gardener, if they are gardening right, has a little sweat on their brow, and gets frustrated from time to time. It's the mark of a dedicated gardener to have sunburn and dirt, and often nothing to show for it. It's much the same for people, but if you can imagine, a tad more challenging. people are definitely higher maintenance than crops; they are people after all. I have found that as I am walking around on campus (yes, I do smile at people, but that's not the point), I look at people and wonder who they are, what their name is, what their major is, why they're attending BYU instead of another university, and why they wear what they wear, go where they go, do what they do.. I want to know them. It's very strange for me, because I say all the time that I'm not a people person, and I still don't think that I am, but that doesn't mean that I can't look at people and want to know who they are, and it doesn't mean I can't wish to help them in whatever way possible.Not that I go around looking at people thinking, "I should plant a seed in that person, they need to grow," But I think its important that we at least look to influence the lives of the people around us by doing a little bit more than just smiling.
First, I think gardeners don't just pick a seed they've never heard of before to plant, they start with things they know, and love. Likewise, look at the people you know in your life. Just being a friend can help them in ways that we cannot imagine. I cannot begin to list the people who have influenced my own life just by being there to listen when I needed to vent, giving me a reason to laugh, a reason to hope, a reason to be happy.
We never will know what our efforts will bring, because the apple trees that spring from these seeds we are planting will either bear fruit or they won't, but regardless of the outcome we should continue to reach out to those around us. You can count the seeds in an apple. You can count how many people you've reached out to, and hope that they pay it forward, but it doesn't matter. You can't count the apples in a seed. So keep trying. Plant a garden, and watch it grow.
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