Fingernails caked with dirt during planting, pulling weeds under the warm spring sun, a refreshing feeling after cold winter days, and then finally drawing a large, ruby-red radish out of the ground are common spring occurrences for me. My family grows a large garden in our backyard, its harvest intermingled on our kitchen table with fresh eggs from the roaming chickens. Many days in spring, I find myself wandering its rows, watering the newly planted seeds or simply pulling weeds from the soil. Watching these plants grow over many weeks and nurturing them through my work has been an enjoyable part of my life for so long that I don’t often reflect on its importance.
Recently, in Biology 100, we finished an experiment on plant growth, where we investigated the effects of different variables on radish seedlings. One of the key results of this assignment was that every day, for two weeks, I would go into Gelb to observe the seedlings’ growth and to water them. Despite occasional grumbling about the time it took away from other work or activities, checking the growth of my radishes allowed me to bring my familiar gardening practice from home to Andover. Looking back on those two weeks, I realized that this time “taken away” was instead small, treasured moments where I could engage in something I loved, providing a break amidst my busy life of sports, homework, and clubs.
Whether gardening or something else entirely, cherishing small moments allows us to be happier and more balanced individuals. It can be a break from the stresses in our lives and offer us time to reflect on our thoughts, something we often neglect to do in the turbulence of life. Additionally, it can offer us a change of environment from something we are working on, and lead to new inspiration. Oftentimes, I’ve found myself in my family’s garden, alone with my thoughts, and realized a new idea for a piece of writing. Other times, I’ve found a solution to a math problem I had been struggling with for hours, one that I otherwise would still be blankly staring at on a screen.
With our busy lives at Phillips Academy, it might seem hard and even ridiculous to set aside time for personal leisure. We stay up late studying, often sacrificing sleep, breakfast, or quality time with friends. However, just as too little sleep is shown to impact our performance, feeling that we lack enough time for ourselves can contribute to stress and influence us as well. By setting aside small parts of our day, even if it is just replacing ten minutes of studying, we can eliminate a portion of this stress and give ourselves time to reflect. If we become more balanced from these moments, it is not time “wasted,” but rather time that can improve our performance. Small moments of joy will help make us less stressed for the exams and social life at Andover.
Growing those radishes made me realize that I have often forgotten the importance of these small moments. Those many years wandering those garden paths and watering the seedlings has revealed a secret I have not realized until now — that I was gardening, not only for the plants, but for myself.
