Patience

I was at Home Depot today looking for some fertilizer for my key lime and mango trees. I was debating liquid versus granular when a man next to me said, "Oh, if you are looking for good citrus plant food, I know the stuff," and he was off, talking to himself, and searching the aisles for Vigoro. This would make more sense if he worked for Home Depot, but he was just a customer like me. It took him a while to locate the exact bag that he wanted me to purchase. The whole time, he talked and talked and talked about his avocado tree. My first instinct was to ditch him, but then I remembered this blog and I thought if he was nice enough to take time out of his day to help a stranger pick out fertilizer, I could be kind enough to listen. So, listen I did.

He has an avocado tree that produced 100 giant avocados this year. You heard right-- 100! They were the size of butternut squash. It's not just a regular avocado tree. He got it from a Jamaican guy. He also told me how to protect my fruit trees from squirrels. This segment included how to make hanging mothball pouches, where to buy the mothballs, how much they cost per pound, what kind of cheesecloth and aluminum foil to use. When he found the bag of fertilizer, he gave me detailed instructions for how to use it. He drew diagrams with a stick on the ground and showed me how many inches I need to dig. Each time he said the word "circle," he drew a circle. Each time he gave me a measurement, he would show the distance using his hands. At one point, I wondered if it was some kind of joke and I half-expected Ashton Kutcher to jump out of the bushes and tell me I've been punk'd. It was definitely an exercise in patience for me.

So, today's act of kindness was the gift of time. I gave that well-intentioned stranger at least 5 minutes (possibly 10) of my life. In return, I got some fertilizer. If my mango tree goes crazy next year and produces 100 mangoes the size of butternut squash, I'll know who to thank.

Kind Regards,

Your Neighbor