Planting onions in the DMZ

Each day, since last Monday, Memorial Day, I have had good intentions of working in my garden. But something also comes up, another prayer service today for a homicide victim, going grocery shopping, picking something up from the hardware store and, the number one thing, working in the DMZ garden. During this running around I have picked up a few more plants and things for the garden, like stakes to keep down the irrigation hose, and tomorrow I plan to get busy in my garden. The only thing stopping me may be the rain. We need the rain but I hope it is early in the morning or late in the afternoon. Good intentions are not enough to get something done.

The other day the older boys working in the DMZ garden asked if we were going to plant onions. I said why not, and had intentions to do so. The next day I was in the hardware store and saw a big bag of yellow onions starters cheap. I purchased it, planted a few in my garden and today the two boys planted the rest in one of the completed mounds in the DMZ. Sometimes good intentions work out.

I am old enough to know that sometimes good intentions are only not enough, but can make a real mess of things. People often mean well but really are making something tougher or messy. I would give personal examples but maybe one of these good intentioned persons will read this posting.

Looking to the garden and nature I often think that natural instincts, when they are basic core human instincts, are better than good intentions. If we are really true to who we are we just do the right thing naturally and do not need good intentions. Natural human instincts, like to help someone in need, can never mess up like good intentions sometimes do. Being in tune with our nature is being in tune with God within. Thomas Merton is someone who understood this reality and shows us how, with silence and contemplation, we can stay in tune with who we really are and thus deeply understand what is going on around us and know the right thing to do. Tomorrow I hope my good intentions to work on my garden will be the same as the nature of what I am meant to do.

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