Life Lessons...From a Tomato

I've got spring fever. I daydream about warmer weather and fresh herbs right from my backyard.

So naturally, I ordered the new seeds and supplies catalog from an awesome place, Seeds of Change. They're certified organic and do some great community projects. As a bonus, the catalog is seriously fascinating reading. 


It got me thinking about my tomatoes last year. I definitely learned a few important things. And I realized these lessons didn't have to be just about the tomatoes anymore...


Embrace diversity! Difference is a good thing! There are more colors, textures, shapes, and sizes out there than you probably realize. Embrace them all. There's more out there than just generic, hothouse tomatoes.

Have patience & hope. I was so excited for my tomatoes to get here, once they started growing. After eagerly checking their progress week after week after week I started losing patience. I started losing interest. And I started thinking that my tomatoes were going to rot before they actually produced anything edible. But then, their true colors started showing and I felt a bit silly for losing patience, interest, and hope. Who am I to rush nature? It'll happen when it's supposed to and that's that. 

There are always going to be a few freaks. Nuff said.


Sometimes things aren't going to go the way you expect. From the moment I bought my little tomato plants, I had been daydreaming about all the tomatoes I'd have by the end of the summer. I was thinking about all the different ways I could enjoy my big harvest. I secretly wondered if I could convince my mom to help me can some tomatoes for later. Oh, the possibilities! Then my plants only produced a few tomatoes. Not even all at once so I could make a batch of salsa! One precious ripe tomato at a time. Which brings me to my next point...

Enjoy what you have. I admit, this one is sometimes difficult for me. I sometimes think more about the things I want instead of making the best of what I have. But boy, when it came to my tomatoes, I savored each one! 

Learn something from the experience and make it better next time. Honestly, this is probably my personal motto. I try to learn something, even from really crappy situations {cough, last job, cough cough}, and try to make it better the next time. You can bet I'm going to (try) growing tomatoes again this year. But I'm going to do a few things differently. We'll see how it goes.

So tell me.... what lessons have you learned from a tomato? Or carrot or cucumber or pumpkin or...whatever!

PS- I've also learned a lesson or two from this amazing tomato!!!