Thoughts from the Pumpkin Patch

by Chris Everett

If you have a veggie patch or any sort of garden you will understand how much the lessons we learn along the path of Tai Chi crisscross with those we learn from the garden.

From little things big things grow --- I planted just 3 Queensland Blue pumpkin seeds and now I have metres of vines like huge octopus with huge pumpkins hiding under the dinner plate sized leaves.

I marvel at nature and how by working with the soil, digging, adding compost, planting, weeding and watering I can become a creator. I get much more than a pile of pumpkins I can turn into soup and yummy pumpkin pie- sounds crazy but I find I get the same sort of connectedness with something bigger than me that I feel when I do really nice tai chi.

I might say "I become a creator", after all ,if I didn't plant the seeds there would (most likely) not be all those pumpkins. If I didn't continuously nurture my tai chi it would stagnate and wither and I would lose the satisfaction of creating something that feels wonderfully good. But, like the pumpkins, I did not create the seed nor a tai chi form, I am just a caretaker for a short while and I am struck by the timelessness of my two passions.

There is no place for ego in my garden, my job is to nurture and try to assist nature, all the time knowing the forces of nature are ever present and far greater. There is no place for too much ego in tai chi, like gardening, we should nurture our tai chi though gentle daily practice, always watching out for little buds of understanding and avenues to explore so that we may grow.