My Aerogarden

A couple of years ago my friend, Suella, got me an aerogarden for Christmas. I always wanted one. They allow you to grow fresh herbs right in your kitchen. I've had basil, mint, thyme, parsley, dill. You name it. It's usually been very manageable.  You place the little pods into the rack, fill it up with water, add nutrients and watch it grow. It takes it's time, but you alway have a nice little garden with a variety of things to choose from. It's very neat and orderly. I keep it trimmed and when I need to I plant new seeds. Always the same ones, but new nonetheless. My aerogarden became a part of my life and very predictable. I loved my little garden and saw no reason to change it. It provided me with just the herbs I needed and I knew exactly what to do with them. I had mastered my aerogarden.

My life and been just like that. I carefully select and plant my little seeds and watch them grow and for the most part I have an orderly little life. I am always in control of what is going on and I liked it that way. I take very good care of this life garden of mine and I make sure everything is neatly selected and tended to. Sometimes things become a little overgrown, but I clip them back and when and when necessary I would plant some new seeds. Usually the same ones, but new seeds nonetheless. My life, like my garden is very predictable. I like it that way. Why wouldn't I? I love my apartment, with all my treasures and the light that streams in each day. My birds greet me each morning with the same love and excitement each day no matter what. My friends are wonderful and give me more love than I could hope for. Even my job has become a safe place that I enjoy going to each day. And, of course, there is Joey. The brightest flower in my life.  My life is perfect and I see no reason to change it. I know just what to do and how to do it. I had my routine down and I felt I had mastered my life.

About a month ago I got a new set of seeds for my aerogarden and this time they were different. They made a mistake in my order and this time I got some lemon basil.  I had never really heard of it, but it was basil, so what the heck. It's not what I ordered, but there is was so I planted it along with all my little seed pods and watched them grow expecting things to be just as always. Except this time they weren't. That little lemon basil plant was a force. It grew with reckless abandon. Suddenly my neat little garden as a bit out of control. What was I going to do? I suddenly had this new herb that was screaming for me to use it. To tell the truth it was special. It had a flavor I had never tasted and I like it. I needed special treatment so with this lemon basil I tried something new - Lemon Basil Sorbet. It was good. Really good! My cooking life changed and to keep up with my new little garden I was trying things I had never tried before. How fun! How unexpected. How exciting. I love my lemon basil and I can't imagine not having it.

My life right now is not unlike my garden. There has been a new seed added to the mix and it's growing with reckless abandon. Suddenly the routine I have tended to for so long is in the midst of change. At first this scared me. A lot. I have worked hard on this garden I call my life and I liked it. As predictable as it was, for me that was comforting. I had no need for change. Nope, not me. Then I thought of my little lemon basil plant. Maybe it was teaching me something.

Life is not always going to go as planned. Now and then the Universe is going to plant a seed and you might just not know what to do with it. You can try to cut it back, ignore it, maybe even pretend not to water it, but it's there and it's not going anywhere. I did all those things but yesterday it dawned on me. The Universe has given me my own little life version of lemon basil. I have no idea exactly what to do with this new thing put before me, but instead of fighting it, I am going to embrace it. I am going to nurture it, water it and love it. Before long I will know just what to do with it and it will be just as sweet as that lemon basil ice cream.

I am not giving up anything in my life with all these changes. I just have some new ingredients. I am cooking up a new recipe for life. Of course my favorite ingredients will all still be there. The sun will still stream in. My birds will still great me with joy. My friends will still be just as loving. My job still a safe place. And, of course Joey is till the brightest flower in my life. The only thing is now we have a new ingredient to spice up life. I can't wait to see what we cook up.