Diligence...

With a smile on his face my son introduced me to his joy, his project...his seedling. It was a cabbage plant I think, and he seemed to cherish it as his gaze focused on its budding leaves. He then went on to explain to me how he had planted the seed, how he had watered it, and how he had fought for the perfect window position at school for maximum light. I thought great, but why all the enthusiasm? He'd had the opportunity to do this several times in the past with each seedling ending up withered and dry. This time, he beamed, "Whoever can grow the largest plant gets a thousand dollars!"

Ah...a bit of motivation always does the trick and this dude was bent on what he could do with one thousand dollars. He went on..."I could buy one thousand pieces of candy, a dirt bike, and oh...a house! The boy must have envisioned himself as Prince Hakeem! He was sadly mistaken of course but I thought the enthusiasm was healthy.

For the next two weeks he strategically moved his seedling to different widows based on the position of the sun during morning and evening hours. He fed it plant food, and even sat me down to explain how important it was that I water it while he was away. I understood. He then raised his shoulders while rubbing his hands together. He was ready!

Friends, that seedling never had a chance! Last I saw it, the leaves were crumpled on the office floor and the plant, well...it had long dried up taking with it our efforts and his house! The death of the seedling was an interesting event, I thought to myself as I glanced at the cabbage corpse. It's just like life and symbolic in a way. It is, in essence, the reality of life with the truth being that no matter what you have done, it's the actions of today that determine your tomorrows. That we must be diligent in our efforts and keep focused if we are to succeed. It's the difference between those who succeed and those who don't - whether your fruit will be dried leaves or one thousand dollars! What a valuable lesson the seedling sacrificed its life for. Make it count people - and pick your fruit...

To read more please be sure to purchase a copy of my soon to be published book chronicling my life as a single father. Also, feel free to donate toward its costs if you so choose by clicking the donate button @ http://chroniclesofasinglefather.blogspot.com. Thanks for taking this journey with me.

Miracles and Blessings

Tron

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