New Gardener and the Old Farmer

The New Gardener and the Old Farmer

old gardener
Trees and friends need care and space to grow.

The new gardener had forty acres of land he dedicated to trees of all kinds. He loved trees and planted at least one every month. He worked hard to plant as many trees as he could to fill up all his land. It was his whole world.

With each tree the new gardener planted, he gave it all the attention and love it needed, until it was stable and standing straight, then he would leave it alone so he could focus on the next new tree. He could hardly wait till he had a tree in every available space. This was his life, his passion. The day finally came when he had planted all the trees his land could hold. Then he felt his work was done and he could relax upon the hill where his house was and gaze at the beauty of the trees he planted.

The new gardener sat on his front porch, prepared to admire all his trees. As he sat there and gazed around, he began to notice something was wrong. The newest trees he had set in place looked fine, but the first trees he planted weeks and months ago were not looking good at all. Some of the older trees were dying, some were already dead. He stood up and cried to his wife, “This cannot be! I loved those trees and gave them a place in my life. Now, look! This is how they repay me? They just start fading then dying? What am I to do with all those empty spaces in my life?”

The wife looked at the new gardener and suggested he drive down the road to consult with their neighbor who also had forty acres of land, but far less trees. “And they are the most beautiful trees I have ever seen. Maybe he can help by letting you know what he has done to have such lovely trees.”

The next morning the new gardener drove down the hill to his neighbor’s farm, grumbling all the way. The farmer and new gardener were happy to see each other. They sat on the back porch admiring the trees that were so healthy and growing so tall.

The gardener asked the farmer, “What is the magical trick you have to grow such beautiful trees? I planted a lot more trees than what you have and they are all dying.”

“I am sorry to hear that,” said the farmer. “But, there is no trick to it at all, and the magic is to always be caring and nurture each tree with what it needs to grow happily and feel loved. You see, trees are our friends. If we just gather them together with too little space to grow, then ignore them, that friendship will die. Tis better to have a few special trees and give them as much caring and love as you can, than to have so many you have no time for them. Trees are like human friends. Kindness, love and caring is what everything the world over needs. It starts with the self, then is given to those we can reach through caring, from there it spreads to others, and before you know it, beauty is all around us. Love begets love.”

The new gardener thought deeply about what the farmer told him. All the way home he thought about it. That afternoon he began taking extra good care of each surviving tree on his land. A few months later, the gardener had far less trees than what he started with, but they were all beautiful and growing strong, because he now had the time to give each tree special care.
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© 2018 Phyllis Doyle Burns

Phyllis Doyle Burns
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Phyllis Doyle Burns

I am an author on TCE and write mainly in poetry and short stories. I have always liked to write. It is important to me that writing comes from my heart and soul. When writing poetry, if I do not feel a spiritual connection to what I am writing on, I will discard it and go on to something I can connect with on a spiritual level. I live in the moment, I write from the past or beyond the veil. When writing fiction I go with whatever inspires me at the moment - it could be funny, sorrowful, romantic or sometimes done with the use of colloquial language from mountain folk or other cultural regions. I began writing content online in 2007, starting with BellaOnline - A Voice For Women, where I was the Native American Editor, Folklore & Mythology Editor, and the Appalachian Editor. I also wrote articles for The Examiner, Daily Two Cents, and Yahoo. I am currently an author on HubPages. Most of what I write takes a lot of research and I love it. Even if it is a fictional story, I will research for accuracy in whatever it takes to make my characters, their era, their location, etc. become realistic to the reader. I hope you enjoy my works. Thank you for visiting.

10 thoughts on “New Gardener and the Old Farmer

  • January 15, 2018 at 6:29 AM
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    Beautiful story dear Phyllis.. I too think that it is far better to have a few friends whom we treasure individually rather than have many for whom we don’t even have the time to say even a hello..friendships need to be nurtured with care and for that we need to be selective in choosing..I loved the moral of your story and really enjoyed reading..thank you so much for sharing..

    • January 15, 2018 at 2:31 PM
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      Thank you so much Tony. Your comment really boosts my spirit, for I learned mostly from you about the importance of trees, nature, friendship, love, caring, and kindness. Bless you dear friend. Take care.

  • January 19, 2018 at 6:30 AM
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    It is a another beautiful story, Phyllis. I enjoyed reading it. It will be a great one to share with my grandsons as they get older. With social media these days, it seems people are striving to see how many “friends” they can collect. Reality is…they probably rarely speak to a quarter of them. I agree with many of the points in your story. Thanks for taking the time to share it.

  • May 10, 2018 at 7:28 PM
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    A beautiful story, enjoyed reading. Kindness , love and caring is the magic that nurtures relationships and makes them strong and long lasting.

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