Heroes Not Zombies

We planted some sunflower seeds earlier this year. Most of them have grown taller than me but one in particular has grown as tall as the house….up to the eaves of the roof. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one so tall. Look at its seed head. It’s huge. I don’t really capture just how immense it is in this photo. I’ve honestly never seen such a big sunflower.

Why did this one grow so much taller than the others?

I don’t know but there are a small group of the tallest ones growing where I used to have a compost bin so I’m guessing that the rich soil has a lot to do with it.

That reminds me of something we often forget and it’s something every gardener knows. If you want health, you need to attend to the soil….or the environment.

The circumstances of our lives are crucial in affecting our lives, our wellbeing and our health. If we want healthy populations we need to supply the right environments…..in terms of housing, food, water, care and respect. Without that humans don’t grow so well.

But there’s more because only one of the sunflowers in this part of the garden has grown this tall. Is that down to genes? To inheritance? Or to micro differences in that patch of the garden? Or to how the plants experienced the weather this year?

I don’t know but it reminds we that we are all different, we are all unique, and that diversity is the natural condition of the world.

Still, we don’t achieve our full capabilities, don’t express our full uniqueness and potential without good “soil”, without nurture and care.