“I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." Phil 4:11
My husband and I have
traveled a lot and often stop at highway rest stops for breaks. When we were
younger, we were usually on a mission to get to our destination, so we zipped
in and out as fast as the lines in the bathrooms would allow. As we’ve grown
older, the stops have become longer as we hit the bathrooms and take a few
minutes stretching our aging legs. On those rest-stop strolls I’ve discovered
something very interesting—mini-gardens dotted throughout the rest stop
landscape. These tiny gardens are a visual blessing to road-weary travelers.
I’m not sure why these
mini-gardens have become fascinating to me recently. Maybe it’s because I’m
getting older and thinking about downsizing my own garden. Or maybe I’m captivated
with rest stop gardens because I’m
always on the lookout for fodder for the two garden blogs I have, entitled Through the Garden Gates and A Writer’s
Garden where I talk about my garden, gardens I have visited, and the
gardens of other writers I host. After all, you never know what might spark an
idea for a post or story. At any rate, I’ve begun to appreciate small like I
never have before.
When we think about
gardens our minds often go to places like Versailles or Biltmore where a small
army of gardeners tend hundreds of acres of landscaping that is perfectly trimmed,
perfectly weeded, and always blooming. (Well, at least that’s where my mind
goes, because I adore walking though and drooling over those gardens.) Likewise,
the pinnacle of authorship represents best-selling books—lots of them. And that
perfect home is all-brick (for easy maintenance), located in a fantastic
neighborhood, and boasts five-bedrooms, four baths, with every room big enough that
you can see empty wall space. If it’s bigger, then it must be better, right?
But sometimes, the
best things come in smaller packages. A tiny garden in a plot or a recycled
trashcan can bring as much joy as an acre of lush landscape you have to tend
daily. The sweet success of seeing your name on the cover of your first
published book is something that will never fade, even if you never reach best-seller
status. And I guarantee you will always remember the first time you cross the
threshold of your tiny, starter home.
So, the next time
you’re tempted to wish for something bigger, or declare what you have already
isn’t sufficient, step back and look for the rest stop blessing—that small, but
beautiful, nugget that lets you know how much you really have. You might be surprised at what you see.
