Entering into my third year of teaching, I bought my first home, a newly-built townhome that was so close to the school I could see my driveway from my classroom window. I loved my time in that house and always took great pride in caring for that home. That care even extended to the small 20×10 foot patch of grass that I owned behind my house. So the following summer as temperatures rose and the climate became dry, I made it a part of my daily routine to step outside each morning, turn on the outside hose, and water my little plot of grass for 15 minutes.
Days passed. Weeks passed. June passed. And in July, a nearby neighbor asked if I would check on his pets while he was out of town on vacation. I was happy to help, and so one morning, after watering my yard, I walked out the back of my property to his house to care for his animals. Afterwards, making my way back home, I saw my yard from a new perspective, and being the nerdy English-brain that I am, the metaphor in that moment was both clear and profound.
That fall, in all of my classes – and honestly, in every course I taught thereafter – I managed to carve out five minutes to share this story and the following insight…
Isn’t it amazing, the transformation that can take place, when you are intentional about giving 15-minutes of your day to tend to the things you are responsible for? Just 15-minutes can breathe life into something, to help it to thrive, when it would otherwise die without that effort.
So what do you need to water in your life? Isn’t it worth 15 minutes of your time?
…Two years ago, I came across this quote, and it fit my story. Just yesterday morning, my Facebook Memories add-on brought the quote back for me to revisit, which ultimately inspired this blog post. So, I’ll keep things simple, and leave you with this parting idea.
Andrew Easton 