LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Take a moment to mentally prepare for a super corny metaphor. Ready? Friends are flowers in the garden of life. Alright. Now that we have that bit out of the way, let’s dig in. As soon as it starts to warm up, I get antsy to start planting herbs, veggies, and flowers. Sometimes I have a bit of a plan, other times, I just want to get something in the ground so I can watch it grow.
When it comes to gardening and landscaping, I’m all about more bang for your buck and low maintenance. The result? I’m always on the hunt for perennials to add to my garden. Perennials come back year after year, so long they are planted in an appropriate space and their roots stay healthy. Bonus: They tend to spread a bit to fill in the space around them.
Annuals are nice, but they only survive for a season or two. Some may re-seed on their own, but you can’t always count on that. Landscaping with annuals is more labor intensive because you must remove the old plants before you can put the new ones in their place.
So, here’s where our metaphor comes in. Do you have perennial friends or annual friends? I grew up in a military household, which resulted in a lot of moving around. For most of my life, I would make friends where we were living, knowing that after a couple of seasons, I would leave them behind and start over. The friendships were fine while they lasted, but their roots didn’t run deep and we never maintained more than a couple months of communication after a move.
It’s has only been very recently in my adult life that I’ve begun to cultivate some perennial friendships. I know these relationships will last for years, even if we spend a few seasons with little contact. Why? Because I’ve finally started to put down roots. I’m finally beginning to feel that I am planted where I am supposed to be.
It’s not about making friends who are in the same “season of life” as you are. It’s about finding the people who want to share in your growth, just as you want to share in theirs. Happy planting, my friends.
Best wishes,
Amy Daniels