Tugging at the Heart
By Jim Sollecito
Fifty percent of all Americans live within 50 miles of where they grew up. I fall into that category.
Even so, there are times when I feel really homesick, not for a house, but for a moment in time. A version of life that doesn’t exist anymore. A place I can’t return to, not realizing at the time that I’d miss it so much.
Fortunately, our life story is ever-changing. Characters enter and exit. Opportunities arise by twists and turns. So, let’s focus on the time we have between those bookmarks and fill it with as many enchanting pages as possible. Seasons pass both fast and slow at any age. Nature shows us how transformation happens: gradually at times and sometimes quite suddenly.
As a former kid, I have learned to be in a constant state of motion, which keeps me quite healthy since movement is medicine. I try to learn, because curiosity keeps the brainwaves alive. Some days the inside of my head must sound like an old Troy-Bilt rototiller starting up after it sat all winter. Not smooth initially but with enough cord-pulling things eventually get humming. The plot thickens.
I don’t think I’ve ever made a specific New Year’s resolution. I do use this time of the year to reflect and consider how to be a better self in more general terms. I think it’s easier now to own my actions. I’m more able to look at my wounds and learn to live with them. One goal is to forgive more freely, as grudges burden the heart.
Embracing change, I eagerly plan the upcoming landscape season, excited about the newer plant varieties we’ll offer. Case in point, check out the foliage of the Flame Thrower Redbud in the photo: vibrant from the moment leaves emerge in spring until the waning days of autumn.
Sometimes our narrative needs an edit: clothes hanging unused in a closet, condiments past their best-by date or dull plants languishing in the landscape. Honest discernment is time and energy well spent.
If something doesn’t enhance your story, maybe it doesn’t belong there. Change out the stale. Renew and refresh. Of course, saving is important. That’s black and white. But it’s also valuable to spend some time, energy and resources to bring color and enchantment to our continuing saga.
In my observation retirees mostly don’t miss the work; they miss the people. Character development. I get spiritual sustenance from talking shop to people who appreciate plants. Not just trying to solve their landscape issues, but appreciating more what plants have brought into their lives. It’s a chapter that practically writes itself.
If you’re standing still in this life, you’re flipping those pages backwards. This year let’s move ahead in a positive direction.
Imagine something new once the snow melts? Now that’s a healthy, hearty page-turner.
Jim Sollecito is the first lifetime senior certified landscape professional in New York State. He operates Sollecito Landscaping Nursery in Syracuse. Contact him at 315-468-1142 or jim@sollecito.com.