Time well spent

Our government, through the local government units as well as the concerned agency, is urging us to plant --and plant. For the past months, the Department of Agriculture, which is just a few meters from my home, has been giving away seeds and seedlings for free. Seedlings that we can already harvest in the next few weeks.

Through no less than Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, the Capitol has urged the constituents to plant calamansi, also known as calamondin or lime, and ginger, to boost our immune system. Although there is still no vaccine available against the current coronavirus, salabat (ginger tea), natural calamansi juice, and other home remedies may be among the public's defenses against the dreaded infection. The good governor has advised local health officials to promote home remedies to boost their constituents' immune systems as a means of combating the disease.

These initiatives are strongly connected to people in the provinces, since they have the essential planting requirements. First, they have larger spaces and second, they have fairly free planting time.

But even in the urban areas, we now have time to plant because of the quarantine. And we have creative ways to do that. At home, we used empty plastic softdrink bottles and small pots we bought before lockdown, solving the inadequate space problem.

And in this time of the pandemic, obviously we can't ask our government for everything we want, and all the time. Resources are dwindling, and day after day, week after week continue to decline. And as long as we're all on a lockdown, for as long as that will take, the economic situation will get worse.

Aside from the sustenance we are reaping from what we are sowing, it is the character we are building up in the process. Looking at the growing seedlings we learn to be patient day by day. Even in our mind, impatience creeps and is frustrated with the slow growth of leaves. The slow growth on fruits frustrates us and thus leads us to call for immediate fruit delivery.

The aphids in our guavas, the presence of the dog every now and then, make me vigilant and find ways to get rid of these harsh conditions. And yes we want to protect what we cherish most. Even before the sun strikes that the moon still provides minimal light, I look down to see something new: a full-blown sunflower, the flowering of the guava, the full blooming of shrubs covering their small yet mighty bodies all over. The feeling of pulverizing the garden soil with just bare hands, reestablishing connection with the earth, is unfathomable. The joy of seeing the buds bloom, and what more, the harvest time that culminates weeks of nurturance, protection and love. The bonding as well as the unfolding of natural phenomena teach us important life lessons.

Indeed, in this quarantine period, staring at the blank walls becomes a norm, we need to think about productive undertakings that will preoccupy us. After all, it teaches us patience, endurance and self-sufficiency even in the midst of harsh experience.

It's in knowing what the key to productive time is. The pandemic lets us have more time to be productive. Let us never allow a minute to pass without wondering what we were doing with the time.