Just when you feel so Omnipotent

, reality smacks you in the face, and you realize that you're nothing more than an aging superhero! Boy do I know how that feels. All the mathematical equations, tried and true methods and meticulous planning and yet......THAT BASIL PLANT IS HUGE! Holy Cow, as Phil Rizzuto used to say, that basil plant was the weakling, on the shady side of the planet, left to fend for itself, not long for this world. The other plant that I moved into the sun seemed to be doing fine though. Tonight I go out to converse with my home-veggies and the runt has 4 inch leaves. Wow that is so shocking and inspiring and educational. I picked 4 or 5 of those sweet smelling leaves, and pondered what steroid mixture or voodoo incantations had caused this.
My fragrant, green teacher is at it again, asking me to empty my cup, and learn the Tao of Basil:

Let Go: We cover every base, make every preparation, learn every nuance, and we think we are in control. Sometimes fate, divinity, or illegal mexican day laborors step in and change the path of our existance. At this point, let go and realize that sometimes we cannot control our destiny, that it is all "controlled folly" as Castaneda says. DO NOT RESIST or object, just adapt and move with the current.

Recognize Change: Do not hold prejudices, but look at each person, situation and flesh-eating zombie as a changing entity, today perhaps different than yesterday. From the moment I moved the other basil plant into the sun, I assume it was the healthiest, and ignored the gradual growth of the other lesser plant. It took an extreme change, those leaves the size of a cow's tongue, to make me "see" the plant in it's current state.

My logic, and my self are flawed: We often believe that we are right, when we are surely wrong (do I ever do that Linda?). Similar to a prejudice, our self image makes us want to be right. This often blinds us to clues that say we are wrong, or makes us forget to truly think things out. Sometimes we are just lazy. I assumed that moving the other plant to the "sunnier" side of the garden 2 months ago made him healthier, forever. In the past two months, the sun's trajectory has changed, and the tomato plants and parsley adjacent to the Basilia has grown and now provide varying amounts of shade as well. I thought I knew, but I didn't. Mea Culpa. Knowing that you don't know sometimes helps. Huh?

If my teacher is a plant what am I? On Kung Fu, Master Po called his student (David Carradine) "Grasshopper". Hmm, what other insect hangs arounds gardens looking to commune with vegetables? SLUG! Yes and they like beer too, as do I. Something about getting a new monicker makes you feel accepted, one of the guys, or ..um...bugs. Anyway, if you see me on the street, please don't call me Slug, that is a sacred name, only to be uttered by my teacher. Peace.