Strawberry Seasons
I am a recovering 'tree-changer,' now settled back into the suburbs, but I learned some valuable life lessons from strawberries. Their seasons taught me about flow, about predators on the hunt, patience and restraint. I learned about the life-force and its constantly changing cycles. They grew spontaneously, most likely from compost scraps, on the sunny side of the garden next to a large water tank. An ever-flowing mountain stream gushed at the foot of the garden, fertilising the air the strawberries breathed. They snuck up on me each summer of my three year mountain retreat, as I shuddered still whining from vicious winters. The strawberries sweetly showed me how life energy waxes and wanes, like the moon governing the swelling and retreat of ocean tides. An industrialised mind seeks constant growth, continuous all through the day and night production. This is not how living energy flows. I can't just make more strawberries to respond to the demands of tod