SOPHOMORIC LANDSCAPING
So it’s a beautiful Florida summer, the rainy season is here, and our trees, shrubs, and lawns are automatically growing nice and lush, right? Well, that’s what I thought would happen when I moved here from Texas back in 1990. Boy did I get that wrong. The stories I could tell you… wait… I think I will.
My first set of orange and grapefruit trees at my suburban home came nowhere close to bearing fruit like you see in the grocery store. Mine were smaller, wrinkled, and sported all kinds of colors. Turns out you have to pamper them with the right kind of soil, fertilizing regimen, insect treatment, proper drainage, sun exposure, etc. I had no idea.
Then there were certain sections of my freshly laid lawn sod that didn’t do so well as the weeks rolled on. Looked like the sprinkler system wasn’t quite covering certain portions of the lawn. No problem, I’m a smart guy so I just did a little extra evening watering by hand to give it a boost. Mysteriously, it got worse. So I called a professional who inspected it and said. “Hmmm, for some reason this part of the yard is getting way too much water. You’ve got a fungus in there.”
I felt like an idiot.
Then there was the year when other sections needed to have some fresh sod which I installed while also putting in some Clusia plants (great) for a new hedge. The Home Depot lady told me to put a little bit of Miracle Gro planting soil in the holes with the Clusia (worked like a charm), and since I had a half a bag left over, Mr. Smart Guy here thought: “Hey, I’ll just put a tiny bit of it on the soil where I would lay down my new sod, and presto, in a few weeks it will grow faster and far more lush!” Instead, it turned a bit yellow, then straw-like, and then died a tragic death.
My professional guy saw it and said: “Easy call. Fertilizer burn. Dude, you put Miracle Gro in direct contact with exposed sod roots?”
“Yeah, well, just hand me the dunce cap.”
So where am I going with this? Well, one thing is that ignorance is not always bliss. In fact, it can be very embarrassing and costly. The older I get, the more I am learning that asking for professional advice is not demeaning, it is redeeming, especially in the long run.
Another thing is that Alexander Pope’s familiar truism: “A little learning is a dangerous thing,” (or the frequent derivative “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing”) is quite true in many layers of life, not just with amateur lawn guys like me. Sophomores in college, seminary, law school, or medical school come to mind. They know a bit more than the average person on a given topic, but don’t quite realize how much they don’t know to be of real service.
The term “sophomoric” comes to mind here which actually comes from two Greek words: “sophos” which means “wisdom,” and “moros” which means “fool.” Literally, a “wise fool.” Yup. Sometimes that’s me.
So, let’s start asking more questions and seeking more advice, but not from fellow sophomores, rather, let’s seek out those who are a little older, a little wiser, and a little more beat up than we are. My dad would often remind me that learning from the school of counsel is far less expensive than the school of hard knocks. He was right. But the truth is, we’ve all been in and out of both schools, haven’t we? It’s okay. Let’s be nice about it and let’s keep learning shall we?
Life-long learning with you,
Pastor Mark
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