Spring Planting, Summer Harvest: Waiting... and Growing!

If you have been reading this blog for several months, you may recall the tiny Italianelle seeds that were planted in early Spring: protected in the warm house; watered carefully each day; nurtured as the fragile seedlings broke the soil for the first time and slowly grew.  Spring promises of new life and growth!

These fragile seedlings were planted outside; and now, six months later, have branched out and become large bushes 4 to 6 feet tall!  Spring promises are now giving way to Summer and Fall harvest... which means cutting, cooking, and freezing these Italian peppers for future meals throughout the year.  The work doesn't end with the planting or watering or fertilizing.  It continues through the harvest... and the preparations for next Spring.

Beginnings:  Fragile and Tender

Can you believe that a Dialogue blog could come from planting, watering, fertilizing, and nurturing plants to fruition?!  If you haven't guessed from earlier blogs, there are lessons for our 'dialogue practices' in almost every aspect of life!

Just think of the times when we reach out to a loved one, friend, or work colleague... listening to their hopes, fears, needs, and daily experience?  A seed may be planted that says 'I care.'

And those times when we provide tenderness to a fragile relationship that has experienced misunderstandings, we say 'I want us to grow."

Nurturing and Waiting:  Unexpected Growth

As we share our perspective and listen to other ways of experiencing life, we feed these connections with a hope that the human condition will improve.  Dialogue practices of awareness and compassion teach us to forgive when we are stuck in the past.  Noticing and practicing nonviolence help us to empathize when human exploration runs amuck.  Freedom and interdependence provide opportunities to seek the uniqueness and rich diversity of journeys so different.

True dialogue -- listening and sharing without judgment -- can provide a safe and fertile environment where ideas can germinate and grow.
 

Harvest:  Sharing Abundance

Unlike plants, though, that have specific seasons for planting and harvesting, Dialogue can begin at any time!  Each moment becomes a new beginning:

• An invitation to plant a seed;
• An inspiration to nurture a relationship; and
• A dedication to stay the course of noticing, sharing, listening, and reflecting on the beautiful connections between us. 

Questions to consider:

• What seeds do I plant in the Garden of my Relationships?
• How do I nurture and feed these relationships?
• Who do I want to share in the abundance before us?

Now is the time to begin, to nurture, and to share the abundance of our lives!  Let's not wait until tomorrow! 
 

Larry Gardepie
Dialogue San Diego Consulting