I just happen to think that in life we need to be a little like the farmer, who puts back into the soil what he takes out.

     – Paul Newman

I was planting a little peach tree the other day, and noticed that the soil was teeming with life, full of the nematodes, bacteria, and fungi that make life possible. Truth be told, it was a little overwhelming, all that squirming and wriggling. At one point I was wishing for a simple scoop of potting soil, fluffy and clean and worm-free.

In many ways potting soil is easier, more controlled and consistent. But of course the tough truth is something we all suspect: easier does not mean better. When it’s in full health, soil is messy, full of creepy crawlies – and it’s all that burrowing and processing that makes life possible.

Remove the mess, and you remove the miracle.

This has me wondering, in my life, what have I over-sanitized? What has been lost in the process? How can I leave room for a few creepy crawlies, for the messy discomfort that encourages new life to emerge?

With so much that we want to grow, there’s only one motto that makes sense.

Bring on the worms.

*****

…speaking of new life, stay tuned for our fancy new Honeybee website, coming next week!