Dear Mr. Appleseed

Conquering fear with love and curiosity.

Sometimes I get smacked upside the head with a life lesson out of nowhere. Today was one of those days.

Apples and peanut butter are a favorite with my crew. When little tummies start rumbling they find their way to the kitchen with the frequent moan of, “I’m hungry.” Let’s be honest, most times the more appropriate word is hangry…but that’s a lesson for another day.

Today my oldest son asked specifically for his favorite – apples and peanut butter “cut like that Mom”. As I was slicing the apples, I handed them the cores and let them pick at the seeds. I am naturally curious and it has been such a neat blessing. I have learned so many unexpected things and met a ton of extraordinary people just because I asked a question or checked into a curiosity. As such, I encourage my kids to ask questions and explore the everyday things that seem ordinary.

We recently planted and transplanted wildflower seedlings. So, naturally as they found seed after seed in the apple cores they started talking about growing apple trees. I did a quick google search to see if that was possible (sounds goofy, I know, but I’m learning that there are some idiosyncrasies with growing things that are frequently less than intuitive). Google informed me that you can in fact grow a tree from an apple seed, but the “parent” apple is highly unlikely to be the result. Armed with my new found apple seed knowledge and a why-not approach to life, we proceeded to plant us a few apple seeds (Johnny would be so proud).

My girls started adding up how old they would be when the trees would be big enough to plant outside. As their imaginations rambled about how they would grow, where they would grow and more, the three of them simply reveled in their excitement of being a part of growing life.

They soon finished lunch and returned back to their world of make-believe upstairs. As I cleared up the kitchen (I’d love to say cleaned, but that’s just not a reality most days around here), a little of what the world would call “wisdom” crept into my mind. “It’s unlikely those little seeds grow at all. If they do, it will likely take years for them to be big enough to plant. Then, if they pollinate, (that’s an actual question since apparently there are male and female apple trees… more of those plant idiosyncrasies) they won’t grow the apples the kids just tasted.” Then, as I wiped up the last of the crumbs, “But, what’s the worst that can happen? We end up with a little more for the compost pile. Either way, we’ll never know unless we plant them.”

BAM – there it was. We will never know unless we plant them.

There are all of these facts that can be spouted about apples, seeds, trees, growing-things that are true. Yet, my children are not expecting a perfect Pink Lady apple (our variety of choice around here), they just want to see what happens if they try. They are not thinking about the days of apparent nothing-ness that build into the years required to grow a tree. They just look forward to seeing the tree if it grows.

As the story goes, Mr. John Chapman (aka Johnny Appleseed) didn’t set out with impressive plans to do amazing things. He loved people and animals. He knew there was a chance that he could help a few people and animals if along the way he gave a few seeds enough room to grow. He didn’t tell himself it was a pointless endeavor because, “What difference could a few little seeds (that likely won’t grow anyhow) make?” He took what he had and did what he could.

Like Johnny, my children often understand better than I that the point of life is less about the result and more about the journey and what is learned along the way.

My dad has always told me, “Kell, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” (I’m sure that’s from another wise man, but he’s the wise man that shared it with me.)

What shots have you been afraid to take? Are you telling yourself it won’t work and therefore not even trying to plant the seed?

Failure is not to be feared. Love Life. Love people.

The failures along the way become the useful stuff that gets thrown on the compost pile of life and helps you grow.

written by Kelli Keller, D.O.