When we pick the fruit, we get an immediate sense of our work’s value. This is my labor and this is my harvest. It’s satisfying.

On the other hand, planting seeds offers no such quick reward. Instead, there’s often a chasm between the initial efforts and when we begin to see results.

The planting and tending is a slog. But we need to remember that without that long, steadfast work of growing, there’s no harvest to enjoy.