Loosening Soil
The grace of tending the garden before a season of growth
by Kristen Pittman
The daffodils in my neighbor’s yard were dusted with snow last week. This week, a daytime high will reach the low 70s. In my home state, this meteorological rollercoaster means we’re on the cusp of my favorite season.
I come from a long line of women who planted, tended, and loved beautiful gardens. Every year the edge of spring has me itching to get my fingers in the dirt. While it may seem too early to do anything productive in my garden, I know nothing could be farther from the truth.
Over the next couple of weeks, whenever time and weather allow, I will set to cleaning out debris, loosening compacted earth, turning in compost to enrich soil. It might not look like much has been accomplished at the end of the day, but I will know I have done good work, prepping the ground for the seedlings to come, making way for the good and beautiful to grow.
As readers, we take great delight in the seasons when we finish every poem, short story, or novel treasuring some seed of truth that roots deeply in our hearts and grows to produce rich, life-giving fruit. But what about the seasons of reading that don’t seem to engender the same beauty and flourishing?
Recently I scanned my reading journal to see a long list of two- and three-star reads, which by my rating system means I’ve had plenty of “It was okay” or simple “I liked it” experiences. The “I really liked it” and “Favorite” experiences were few and far between. No new favorite authors. No books I can’t wait to share with others. No nuggets of wisdom.
We’ve all experienced, or will experience, seasons like these—full of reads we mostly enjoyed but lacking anything that really sticks with us long after. In these seasons, it’s tempting to ask: is reading like this a productive use of my time?
Often these seemingly unproductive reading seasons aren’t wasted time. They are, in fact, akin to the early work of planting a garden. They are clearing the debris and tilling up the hard soil, preparing our hearts and minds and making room for something to grow.
I think back to all the many assignments of high school and college English classes—things I enjoyed but never had a real “Ah ha!” moment with—and remember feeling like I had little to show for those hours spent reading aside from a decent grade. What I didn’t see then was how, without even realizing it, I was tucking away cadences, styles, and techniques that would morph and grow into my own writing voice over time.
So, the next time you find yourself reading things you’ve enjoyed but aren’t quite sure were worth the time spent, don’t rush into the next season. Instead consider that maybe in some way this season of reading is one of preparation. I hope find yourself wondering about the ways it could be leading to you to something beautiful.
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“‘Give me your wise counsel,’ says the reader, ‘and I will give you my attention.’”
Walter Wangerin, Jr., Beate Not the Poore Desk
