Seeds Know When

Have you ever felt like you’re falling behind in a race you never meant to enter?

Last weekend, my daughter and I planted a small terrarium together. We carefully placed tiny seeds in the soil, watered them, and set the glass container by a sunny window.

Every morning since, she's rushed to check if anything has sprouted. "Can we make them grow faster?" she asks, peering intently at the dark soil. I smile at her impatience. It’s the same impatience I see in my own desire to control time. It’s the same impatience that’s etched into the operating system of our culture.

"When will you finish that project? Can we accelerate the plans?" 

"When are you getting married? Your sister already had two kids." 

"When will you get that promotion? You’ve been at the same level for a few years." 

When, when, when. Faster, faster, faster.

These well-meaning questions can leave us feeling frantic. Feeling constantly behind, perpetually inadequate, forever chasing. 

We love the idea of achievement on demand. As if life's most meaningful experiences can be scheduled like an Amazon delivery.

But what if there is a natural timing to the universe? What if everything happens on its own schedule, unfolding exactly as it is meant to?

You know that feeling of pushing against a door that's meant to be pulled? That's what happens when we fight against divine timing. We exhaust ourselves trying to force what isn't ready to emerge. 

Meanwhile, nature has already gotten the message.

The redwood doesn’t hurry. It begins as a seed no bigger than a fleck of pepper, or as a sprout from the base of an ancient trunk. It waits for the right conditions, the right space, the right light. And then, over centuries, it becomes the tallest thing for miles. Holding court with the sky.

The river doesn't struggle to reach the ocean. It simply flows around obstacles, finding the path of least resistance. But it never stops moving, and in its persistence, it carves canyons through mountains.

We don't need to rush. We don't need to force. We just need to keep showing up, keep doing the work, and stay true to our purpose. Like I tell my daughter - water the seeds, give them light, and trust their timing. 

The growing is happening, even when we can't see it yet.