Once upon a day like any other, a gardener decides to leave his home. He feels the environment he’s always known no longer reflects his ambitions.

He has his mind set on planting a garden; to cultivate his purpose; for ideas to grow in; to plant the magic seeds he was given to help him flourish and grow.

He’d been given a case by his gardening teacher, an ornately decorated case with ancient wisdom from gardeners before him: magical seeds of knowledge to guide him in planting a garden of his own.

Eager and driven, he leaves his abode. He sets on the road and just like he was taught he finds a spot – a perfect plot in which to watch them bloom.

He takes the seeds out of their case and begins to place them into the ground.

Confident with the soil that he found he waits for the magic to work.

With the sun’s rays beating down on his face, he waits and waits.

And waits some more.

The sun grows hot and his legs grow sore.

His stomach thunders. “Was this all a blunder? Have I made some grave mistake?” he wonders.

Hungry, tired and beaten down, he digs up the seeds from their place in the ground

He walks on … and on … and further still, until he comes to a clearing.

“Are you lost?” an older woman asks, having seen the gardener’s perplexed complexion.

“What is this place?” He looks around him.

“We call it The Garden. Would you like to come in?”

(Or, “It’s called The Mind Garden. Would you like to come in?”)

As the woman gives him the lay of the land, the gardener tells his tale of woe.

“You know,” she retorts, “I think we can show you the way. We’re all gardeners here. You’re welcome to stay.”

The gardener meets other gardeners like him. They’d left home with seeds but no soil to plant them. No water, no sunshine, no shovel or shears. The gardener feels understood by his peers.

The gardeners embrace him and help him plant his seeds once more. With their help, his seeds feel like magic, once more!

As it turned out, the seeds on their own weren’t enough. They required the right tools, some water, and love. The commune of gardeners supplied what he needed and, so, he proceeded to put roots down there.

From that day on, he never gardened alone.

And soon this mere garden turned into a home.

Years later he’d look back on those first days, so green. He’d recall the older woman’s words and finally realize what they mean.

“Your mind is like a garden. Your ideas are like seeds. To flourish you must learn what your garden needs.”