A gift to last

By this time, many of us are already in the thick of our search for the right Christmas gifts to give to loved ones, to beloved kids especially. We usually think only of material things for gifts. But, in fact, there are gifts we can give that are equally interesting – and even better – than the usual toys or shoes or shirts.

Last week, I finally did some gardening at home. I’d been thinking to do it for some time but, for one reason or another, couldn’t get around to actually doing it. The location of my small rented place was the main problem.

I live on the second floor. As you can probably imagine, there’s just no place where you can plant anything there. What looks like a narrow veranda in front is actually a pathway to my door.

The pathway is just a strip about two feet wide, quite sparse even for the very purpose for which it is put there. Occasionally, I also use it when I have wet laundry to dry. I would lean on the metal railing to reach the clothesline that is a few inches outward but still under the roof that extends from the main house structure.

I get uneasy in a house where there are no plants – real plants – to see. Plants are a therapeutic sight for me. Aside, of course, that they also serve as an effective filter of all the dusts and fumes that would otherwise find their way into our nostrils.  

On Tuesday afternoon, I came upon a section at the mall that sold plastic plant pots. There were six pots that looked perfect for my intended use at home. Each measured five inches square at the bottom, stood eight inches, and had a matching catch pan at the base for excess liquid when watering the plant. The price was only twenty pesos apiece.  

I got excited with the find, bought all six pots and quickly went home. The pots fitted together just right in the available space at the idle side of the front door. Like they were custom-made for that exact tiny spot.

The neighborhood boy whom I contract to regularly take out my garbage showed up. I offered him an extra twenty pesos for filling the pots with soil from a nearby lot. He disappeared instantly and came back later with a full plastic bag of good garden soil.

As we were putting soil into the pots, the boy asked what it was all about. I explained to him that it was good to have plants around the house. His eyes glowed with enthusiasm to know that I was going to grow vegetables and herbs in the pots: tomatoes, okra, ginger, lemon grass etc.

Very early the next morning, the boy came again. He wanted to check if the vegetables had already begun to grow. No, we hadn’t even sowed the seeds yet.

My little friend’s innocent curiosity fired me up all the more. I told him to go freshen up; we were going out together to buy vegetable seeds. He went running, shouting in utter joy!

For several days now, the boy has been hanging around at home. At times I have to remind him not to disturb the pots, or else the seeds won’t sprout. He guards the pots as one would watch over the crib of a sleeping infant.

The boy practically spends entire days affectionately tending our “garden”. He takes breakfasts and lunches with me. He would only leave when I go out on some errands, since I would have to lock the gate downstairs. Otherwise, the kid only goes home to rejoin his family at night.

The little gardening project is indeed a source of great pleasure for me, as well. It makes me happy to see tiny green stems breaking out of the pot soil. I would imagine fresh vegetables of different, delicious colors.

More than that, I am most happy to witness my little friend’s growing interest in plants. It seems I have effectively started in him a passion for gardening. And what better gift is there to give a child than one that can grow in him and, thus, he can enjoy for a lifetime?

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