The Time of Seeds

After a week of uncertainty, frustration, and even technical consultations with my aunt, an agricultural engineer, the seeds finally germinated.

At first, I thought the seeds were fake. They were so tiny that they looked as if they had been ground into dust. Then I thought I had overwatered them. After that, I blamed the cold weather. Every day, I came up with a different excuse to explain why the seeds hadn't sprouted.

What I didn't know—or perhaps couldn't fully understand—was that everything happens in its own time. There's no point in trying to rush the process.

I believe we live in an age where everything is fast and immediate. When I was younger, I had to wait weeks for the postal service to deliver my Magic: The Gathering cards. Today, in some cases, items purchased online arrive the very same day.

As a child, I also had to wait days to download the games I wanted to play. Today, almost everything is instantaneous. We download dozens or even hundreds of gigabytes in just a few minutes.

Perhaps we have become so accustomed to speed that we've forgotten nature doesn't operate at the same pace. It follows its own clock.

For a seed as small and delicate as a tobacco seed to grow into a plant nearly two meters tall, it takes time, care, and patience—far more than we are accustomed to giving these days.

Some things simply cannot be rushed. Projects, relationships, learning experiences, and even personal growth need time to develop roots before they can emerge above the surface. Sometimes, the feeling that nothing is happening is merely a sign that growth is still taking place where we cannot yet see it.

Just like seeds, perhaps some of the things we hope for most and desire most are simply following their natural course.