80 – Seeds *

Special thanks to Lisa for providing the photos. Lisa is in the USA and I encourage readers to visit her photography blog Peace of Life Today. Lisa owns the copyright on her photos.

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I like walking on the beach. It is good for the mind, body, and soul – and refreshing on my feet.

Ever think about seeds? They seem so simple at a glance – even on closer examination. We typically think of a seed with a hard, thin outer shell and a softer inside.

On the other hand, this seemingly plain object is the beginning of something new, something beautiful, and something useful. The seed is the beginning of a green plant that can be as simple as grass or are grand as a large tree.

Earth’s annual regeneration of seeds for release (many in the fall) – possibly covered by winter snows – yet ready for renewal in the spring so the cycle can repeat – all this with its goal of perpetuating the species.

I think of the farmer preparing the land before planting the seeds. Whether randomly scattering the seeds or planting them in straight rows with distinct spacing, time delivers something that belongs to everyone – bountiful crops and flowers.

As I walk, trees are sparse – only found on the grounds of some condominiums. However, we can find naturally occurring trees a short distance away from this beach. I think about a forest. Somewhere in that forest’s history, there was a time of one tree – the first tree. That one tree came from a seed. From that one tree came other trees – each coming from one seed.

I think about the sizes and shapes of seeds – from the tiniest orchid seed to a type of coconut containing the largest seed – seeds shaped as squares, oblong, angular, triangles, round, egg-shaped, bean-shaped, kidney-shaped, discs, and spheres. Seeds with lines and ridges – others perfectly smooth – plus found in various colors, and some even speckled.

A seed has three components – an outer protective coat, the embryo for growing into a new plant, and the food source giving the embryo and young plant its initial food source for growth – all aspects for increasing a chance for survival.

Ever notice how leaves sprout early from a seed? Yes, leaves to produce food for the young, growing plant because the initial food source in the seed is small.

Seeds hold the potential to produce something new because they contain hope and promise for something new. But not all plants use seeds for reproduction. For instance, mosses or ferns do not – but seed plants are the ones that dominate the plant world.

This thought causes me to think about our fertility – that is, the seeds within us. The promises that we hold can produce a bountiful yield.

Interesting that we refer to the sperm of human males as seeds, but in the plant world, a sperm fertilizing the egg results in a seed.

Seeds are mobile, so they must have adaptations to move them around – a method of dispersal. Some have wings to be carried by the wind. Some have barbs, burrs, or hooks to attach to fur, feathers, or even human clothing to be dropped elsewhere. Some seeds are buoyant for moving water to transport them. Freshly fruit to eat surrounds other seeds, which will become exposed and deposited elsewhere for potential growth.

I remember the large oak trees at my previous home. Each tree producing a bountiful supply of acorns – but not the same number each year. Each acorn with a coat, an embryo, and a food supply. Each acorn is the potential for a new oak tree. However, all those acorns from one tree – a culinary feast for squirrels preparing for winter – so I wonder how many of all those acorns will yield their acorns in time.

Seeds are the structure we plant in fertile soil and associate with terms such as vigor, viability, dormancy, and germination. Seeds are also a source of food, oils, cooking ingredients, flavorings, jewelry, and even deadly poisons.

Besides a simple design yielding a complex adult, the seed is also a useful metaphor.

People are hidden seeds waiting to become viable vessels of knowledge. Because every seed has the potential for a significant result, seeds are a symbol of the potential that is in each of us. Seeds are a symbol for a positive future and a symbol of the power of hope and possibility. Teachers hope to plant a seed in students – a seed that develops over time into something valued by others and society – their role in cultivating humanity.

Seeds are the ideas coming to us from thinking – the spark initiating a thought process that leads to personal action for improving life. After all, the seeds of discovery lie in the knowledge of determination through the human spirit.

I think about how each of us has a bright side and a dark side – the good seeds and the bad seeds. Seeds are a symbol for laying the groundwork for future development as planting the seed – but some use planting the seed for promoting negative feelings or a downfall.

Religions rely on the seeds of faith, but politics prefers manipulating the seeds for selfishness.

A heart contains seeds of love that are waiting to sprout a new life with that special someone.

I think about how entrepreneurs use “seed money” for starting a new business. I also remember during my youth using “bird feed” or “chicken feed” as a term for a small amount of anything – something paltry or minuscule in amount.

Seeds – that simple, interesting, incredible, and successful biological design found in nature that plays a large role in human life. I don’t recall what triggered thinking about seeds on this day, but I’m glad it happened. After all, I like walking on the beach because it is good for the mind, body, and soul – and refreshing on my feet.

See what other bloggers have written about seeds

• Planting Seeds (a quadrille poem by a reader here)
• The Seeds of Life (photos)
• Fun Facts about Chia Seeds (essay)
• A Question of Timing: When to start seeds inside (essay)
• Seed of Dreams (poem)
• Seeds of Generosity (flash fiction short story)

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