# 56 Digging in the Dirt

The planting was completed when sixty holes were dug and sixty bulbs were methodically (or haphazardly) placed in the upturned soil.  With any luck, next spring I will be greeted with a host of vibrant red and yellow tulips and a kaleidoscope of colorful wind flowers waving their blossoms in my direction; a souvenir of this memorable sixtieth year.

Cultivating the soil has always been a fall ritual in our family.  My mother loved to dig in the dirt and every spring was blessed with an explosion of color when these former bulbs emerged from their underground dwellings.  Will this tradition continue with the next generation?  Fond memories have kept me digging, however, I do not know if my children share the same sentiment.

I do hope they inherit the desire to sow instead of my inability to keep any type of greenery alive. Possessing a green thumb has not been my strength but I have found that these motivated bulbs are never deterred from surfacing regardless of the color of my pollex.

As the year progresses, I look forward to a new bed of flowers, a renewed outlook on life, and--after this eye-opening goal setting year--a jubilant me waving goodbye to age sixty and embracing the inevitable passage of time.