Simple Rewards

This mundane picture actually holds so much meaning for me. To me it represents excitement, nostalgia, ancestry, reward, hard work, reverence, simplicity, pride, contentment. Gosh, and so much more.

When I took this photo, I couldn’t help but be excited for a yummy serving of fresh garden beans. The simplest of recipes - steam to perfection, add butter and salt. But as I take it in, it also allows me to travel back in time to carefree summer days at my grandparents’. I then reflect on how much hard work it took to keep a farm and large garden going. My garden is barely a third of what my grandmother tended to every year - not to mention the hot, endless days of canning that followed large harvests. It was certainly a simpler time, but by no means easier. And the rewards were simpler, but by no means less satisfying. My guess is that they enjoyed a deep, rich satisfaction that few of us get to experience in today’s culture of convenience.

Then I turn my attention to the basket that holds this small mess of beans. I can’t fully express the amount of pride I have every time I grab it and head out to the garden. You see, there is a piece of masking tape atop the handle of this basket. Though I know it will eventually fall off on its own one day, it will never be removed purposefully. That tape has my beloved Great Aunt Meme’s name on it. It was her practical way of labeling it when she took a covered dish to the church potluck, or placed baked goods in it for an ailing friend. This basket never held dirt-covered vegetables nor got stored on a dusty garage shelf. No, Aunt Meme was a city slicker that prided herself in elegant, tidy presentation. But Aunt Meme also retained her country values that seeped into her soul as she grew up, sister to my grandmother. So with no desire for a new, shiny basket - it is pure delight to carry a part of my grandma and my aunt out to the garden looking for simple rewards.

Take a moment’s pause. Look around your immediate environment to find your simple rewards.