We Never Know What Might Grow (MB)

By Monica Berg 

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I was in the car with my oldest daughter. She was DJ-ing, and she played this song called 7 Years by Lukas Graham.

Once I was seven years old, my mama told me,
“Go make yourself some friends or you’ll be lonely.”
Once I was eleven years old, my daddy told me,
“Go get yourself a wife or you’ll be lonely.”
Once I was twenty years old, my story got told
I was writing about everything I saw before me

Soon I’ll be sixty years old, will I think the world is cold?

Or will I have a lot of children who can warm me?

It goes fast. It was just yesterday that my 17-year-old was a toddler taking his first unbalanced steps. Kabbalistically, we speak about planting seeds. Every action, thought and word plants a seed in our lives, and because of the passage of time we often don’t connect our ‘seeds’ with the blessings in our lives.

I feel so taken care of by the Creator and I’m not referring to any of the times where things are going smoothly. This song brought into focus the way some of the seeds in my life have grown into blessings! And not just in the great big obvious ways, but in the little, seemingly inconsequential ways that happen each day.

For instance, a year ago I befriended a woman at an exercise class. Many conversations later I learned that her husband is a sports injury specialist who practices a procedure called PRP. Platelet Rich Plasma entails taking blood from a patient, spinning it to create plasma with high concentrations of platelet and then injecting it into areas, usually joints, where blood flow is limited. This is right up my alley in terms of healing philosophy, by simply directing my own cells into an injured area to aid healing.

I had a minor shoulder injury last year and while it turned out I didn’t need PRP treatment for that, I developed a contact with the doctor and was informed on the procedure. So, this year when I tore a tendon in my ankle, (apparently my ligaments are similar to Gumby’s) I knew just who to talk to and what to do. The ‘seed’ that created this was just one morning when I was open and curious and vulnerable enough to reach out and make a friend.

Two weeks later I am 90% healed and blessed to have had this doctor in my life. Had I not known him I may have continued exercising and done more serious harm to myself, or been forced to be off the ankle for who knows how long?

Think about vegetable seeds, some are so tiny, no bigger than the head of a needle. Yet they have the potential to grow into a large plant that bears fruit. Every word and action has this ability, like a tiny seed, to create a new aspect of your life, one that you could have never known existed. It’s a beautiful and profound teaching.

A student shared that she is always amazed by the thoughts she had as a child 30 years ago and how those thoughts were seeds for her present. She grew up in a working class town of 2,000 in the Midwest and remembers thinking how glamorous it would be to work and travel between New York and Los Angeles. She grew up and did just that. After a particularly harrowing blizzard and 22-hour delayed airline experience trying to get back to Los Angeles from New York, she told me this story and we joked, ‘Be careful what you wish for!’

Fourteen years ago, right after I had given birth to my youngest son Josh, I was in need of major help in the office. Also, I was so overwhelmed with his diagnosis that I was less present in nearly all other areas of my life. I was desperate to hire someone, sight unseen as I was in New York for a good six months and I needed them in LA to keep everything running (this was before FaceTime, video conferencing, etc.). She turned out to be a fit and eased my stress on that front during a very stressful time. She’s still working with me 14 years later. Little did I know that the ‘temp’ I just needed to get me through would become a trusted friend and source of support for years to come.

We plant seeds everyday, and going back to the song lyrics – we never know who will be an important part of our life. I like the saying, ‘Everyone you know was once a stranger.’

I hope that it will encourage all of us to push ourselves to greater kindness, to more meaningful sharing, and to live with the consciousness that the blessings and miracles in our lives often start with one small gesture. It could be a shared smile across a room of people, a kind word when you notice that someone looks flustered or down, or even the thoughts and dreams we have.

Thought Into Action

Be conscious of everything you do, say, and think. Plant good seeds today and look back on your life and identify what seeds you planted years ago that have made a huge impact on your life. Welcome that beautiful feeling of gratitude and appreciation.

Full lyrics of “7 Years,” by Lukas Graham:

Once I was seven years old, my mama told me,
“Go make yourself some friends or you’ll be lonely.”
Once I was seven years old

It was a big, big world, but we thought we were bigger
Pushing each other to the limits, we were learning quicker
By eleven smoking herb and drinking burning liquor
Never rich so we were out to make that steady figure

Once I was eleven years old, my daddy told me,
“Go get yourself a wife or you’ll be lonely.”
Once I was eleven years old

I always had that dream, like my daddy before me
So I started writing songs, I started writing stories
Something about that glory just always seemed to bore me
‘Cause only those I really love will ever really know me

Once I was twenty years old, my story got told
Before the morning sun, when life was lonely
Once I was twenty years old

I only see my goals, I don’t believe in failure
‘Cause I know the smallest voices, they can make it major
I got my boys with me, at least those in favor
And if we don’t meet before I leave, I hope I’ll see you later

Once I was twenty years old, my story got told
I was writing about everything I saw before me
Once I was twenty years old

Soon we’ll be thirty years old, our songs have been sold
We’ve traveled around the world and we’re still roaming
Soon we’ll be thirty years old

I’m still learning about life
My woman brought children for me
So I can sing them all my songs
And I can tell them stories
Most of my boys are with me
Some are still out seeking glory
And some I had to leave behind
My brother, I’m still sorry

Soon I’ll be sixty years old, my daddy got sixty-one
Remember life, and then your life becomes a better one
I made a man so happy when I wrote a letter once
I hope my children come and visit once or twice a month

Soon I’ll be sixty years old, will I think the world is cold
Or will I have a lot of children who can warm me?
Soon I’ll be sixty years old

Soon I’ll be sixty years old, will I think the world is cold
Or will I have a lot of children who can warm me?
Soon I’ll be sixty years old

Once I was seven years old, my mama told me,
“Go make yourself some friends or you’ll be lonely.”
Once I was seven years old

Once I was seven years old