Annuals and Perennials

¹We can imagine cultivating happiness in this life is similar to cultivating plants in a garden. Plants can be classified as annuals or biennials, which means they last for one or two years, or as perennials, which means they continue to grow and produce flowers and fruits year after year. A garden can have a mix of annuals and perennials, and it has less to do with the gardener than with the plant itself if it's going to last for years and years, or die off at the first signs of winter. If a tomato plant only lasts for one year, that doesn't mean it's not worth planting, nor should we resent the fact that we'll have to start from scratch the next year and plant more tomato plants. If we want to eat a tomato from our garden, this is the only way we can do this. Some of our pursuits of peace and happiness may only yield fruits for a season, before dying off during the winters of chaos and sadness. We shouldn't blame ourselves if some areas of our life are like perennial plants that require some maintenance but ultimately survive through most everything that life throws at them, but then, on the other hand, some areas of our life keep failing and dying and we have to keep replanting over and over. If we want tomatoes and tulips and rosemary and sunflowers and all the rest, we have to find peace in the journey and accept that some plants need more time and attention and still die anyway but nevertheless are still worth the beauty they produce, however fleetingly.