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By Alli Wade
I have come to find that life is comparable to a garden.
The farmer who sits by idly, leaving his crop to its own avail sees his harvest perish. Weeds smother the crops and suck the nutrients from the soil, leaving a desolate plot of land. Insects and creatures sneak in the dark of night to sabotage the fruit. What once promised a future of beauty and sustenance is instead left with nothing but barrenness. At times, the swiftness of the destruction leaves the gardener in amazed disbelief and sorrow for what could have been. As he looks across the vast expanse of nothingness, he mourns his loss knowing that the mistake is one with no rectification. The error leaving him hungry—wanting—that which is no more.
On the other hand, the farmer with a well-tended crop sees it bloom plentifully. He carefully tills each weed from his yield, taking great care not to disrupt its progress. He creates barriers to keep out the varmints and sprinkles the leaves to exterminate the pests that threaten his sustenance. As the sweat covers his brow, he works diligently in the heat with the assurance that fruit will bear from his labor. Although his back aches and his skin blisters, he knows the harvest will be worth it. After reaping the reward of his toil, he basks in the joy of the mature, life-sustaining fruit, knowing that it is good. He realizes that he is the provider of his own existence and experiences the comfort in that knowledge.
I am the farmer. I decide how to tend my crop. I can allow the pests and weeds of the world to overtake my fruit, or I can put in the work and obtain the rewards of my efforts. It’s easy to tell yourself that you deserve to rest one day to take in the excess of things of the world, assuring yourself that, “One day won’t make a difference.” However, one day turns into two, then three, and then, suddenly, you realize that the predators have taken control of your bounty leaving you a prisoner to others for your own nourishment.
As I continue to move through life, I am reminded not to allow others to control my harvest. This is a new season—a time to plant seeds. I am eager to see them flourish with the right cultivation.
Alli Wade, of Annville, Ky., is a member of the McConnell Scholar Class of 2022. She studies criminal justice and political science at the University of Louisville.