Happy New Year! I love New Year’s because it’s like a fresh start, and there are so many things to be hopeful about. The earth has completed another rotation around the sun, so that’s something. We farmers are also preparing for the upcoming season, looking back at our notes, and hoping for an even better year. We have tucked in our bulbs and are ordering seeds, planning our farms, and doing all sorts of aspirational things. It’s still winter, but it feels like spring is closer than ever.
When I think about this holiday, I think a lot about flower bulbs. They go into the ground when it’s dark, cold, and rainy in the fall. They aren’t much to look at, and planting them is inherently optimistic. We hope that in the spring, our investment will pay off, and we’ll have gorgeous flowers in abundance. In life as in farming, we are always sowing things and hoping for the best. Just because you don’t see them doesn’t mean they aren’t there. With the fresh start of a new year, it’s nice to think about what we intend to sow this year, and what remains hidden, waiting to bloom.
I hope this year is as abundant and prolific as the daffodil fields at Gibbs Gardens, one of my old favorites. When I lived in Atlanta, going there was always a highlight of spring. Every year, 20 million daffodils emerge in every color and variety imaginable. It is an astonishing labor of love. It has taken years of hard work, and they only bloom for six weeks a year. When I think of what’s possible with a vision and some sweat equity, I get really excited about what is next for the business. I can’t wait to see what happens in 2019!
What are y’all hoping for this year? Leave a comment and let us know!