PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 15, 2025
My aunt has a garden plot that I took care of over the summer. She was in town one day and we went to the garden. While everything seemed perfect in the neighboring plots, I learned that it wasn’t. She taught me that the nutrient value of vegetables depends on the soil. One of the best soil ecosystems is a forest floor, which is spongy, with trees and leaves covering the soil, shielding it from direct sunlight so it doesn’t dry out. The soil has the capacity to absorb and hold water because it has holes for air and water to get in and out. The plant’s roots in the forest floor are able to function properly and the whole ecosystem can work together to thrive. I realized that my aunt’s garden, for all its chaos, held a deeper kind of order, emulating the forest floor. It taught me that the real value often isn’t obvious from the surface. Like in the garden, life’s real purpose often lies just out of sight, where you can’t see it until you’re willing to get your hands dirty and uncover the meaning. ~ Grace Alexander, Portland