We bought some starter plants from my daughter’s Aquaponics lab at school… tomato, cucumber, zuchini, watermelon, and cantaloupe.

Because I’m not very good at taking care of plants, I took them to my dad and asked him to help us care for them. He got the idea to use containers to grow the edible plants instead of putting them in the ground. This would make the plants portable so that he could better ensure healthy amounts of light. He has since been situating the pots in sunny spots from day-to-day.

I also found out he had planted strawberry seeds in the ground for my mother several weeks ago. He had been evaluating the sun and shade patterns of the area for weeks…

“I think I’m going to have to move the strawberries.” He said. “It’s not enough light over there.”

So, in addition to getting Kaylee’s plants in the soil, he also ended up re-planting mom’s strawberries, which had become discouraged and faded.

The takeaway here is sunlight.

The most essential aspect in growing a thing is light.

Are you a source of light?

What’s radiating from you onto others?

Is it healthy or harmful?

Maybe you’re quiet. Maybe you prefer to listen and be led. But do you have light?

[Photosynthesis cannot happen without energy from the sun.]

The power is in the light.

Do you project light or reject light?

Nothing can grow in the dark for long.

Have you ever had a moment where you were existing in the dark, saw the light, and your whole world shifted?

Sometimes we have to evaluate where we’ve been planted, take into consideration what the new conditions or circumstances are, and be open to moving.

We can sit in the shade so long that light can become intermittent; and eventually, non-existent.

While the shade may not have been deadly, my dad noticed the strawberry plant wasn’t reaching its maximum potential. And he became proactive.

Are we reaching our maximum potential?

It’s evaluation season.

If we’re not growing properly, it may be time to shift from the particular spot that we’re in…

We’ll live longer…and healthier.

Clinnesha is a writer, wife, mom, meta-artist, and social entrepreneur. Her work is at the intersection of arts, culture, innovation, and community.