Teach a Man to Fish

There is a Chinese proverb that says, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” I’m sure the friend who came over last night to teach me how to grow my own tomatoes must have been thinking about this.

I have said on numerous times that I have two black thumbs – plants commit suicide before I can take care of them, because they KNOW that means a long, painful death for them. I love plants – of all kinds – but have never really had anything that did well under my care, except for the bamboo plant on my desk, and I think that is almost impossible to kill, although I’ve given it my very best shot.

So, it was with a little fear and a lot of trepidation that I welcomed my friend – laden with soil, containers, plant food, and two tomato plants – into my home last night to show me how to grow tomatoes. He patiently explained how they need lots of sunlight, and lots of water. He gave me instructions on giving them the plant food. He showed me how to put it into the soil – and how to tie it up as it grows. He gave me everything I need to reap successfully the fruits of my labor. As he talked, I remember thinking, “This doesn’t sound too difficult; maybe this time, I will be able to grow them!” I’m not sure anyone ever told me how to do it before now.

It remains to be seen if I will actually get any tomatoes. (One plant had several flowers and one tiny tomato on it already. The other plant had several flower buds just starting.) If I am successful – then I will certainly give the credit to my friend. If I’m NOT successful, then I can only figure that YET AGAIN there has been a break in the communication that was given to me, and how my brain actually utilized the information.

I have to admit, just the possibility that I will actually get to taste a tomato that I’ve grown makes me happy. If all goes according to plan, my friend says it could be in as little as four weeks. And if it happens, (I keep saying “if” because I’m still not sure it will) I have to wonder how many other things in my life I’ve avoided because I didn’t know how to do them – maybe if there were someone out there willing to teach me to…dance…publish a book…get serious about losing weight…fill in the blank…I wouldn’t be afraid to try. The right knowledge and the right tools change it from an insurmountable task to an accomplishment! I will keep everyone posted on my tomatoes. I have proven that I am capable given the information and tools to do the job.

NOTE: To my readers who get this by email, one person told me that yesterday’s blog went out again today. I didn’t do that; it must be a problem with the blog site. I will investigate.