Seeds Planted

A couple of weeks ago, a friend sent me an e-mail with a link to a commencement speech for Stanford University graduates. The presenter is Steve Jobs, a founder of Apple. Snippets of his words have floated through my days since then. In conversations with friends, in discussions with people wondering what they are going to do with their lives, and as I am planting my garden.

Gardens hold strong metaphors. As I watch the tiny birds land on the earth, I wonder how many of those seeds I had covered were actually being transported to another place. The fact is we don't know where the plants will grow, with birds involvement or not. We try to create the best space for it all to happen. This year, I spent a long time getting the earth ready, more than the time it took to plant. But that is the best investment.

And so now, I think of Steve Jobs, how he has planted seeds in his words.

Many people I mentioned this to had already read or saw the video of the commencement. It was presented in 2005. Four years later, it still calls out to people.

Here it is: Steve Jobs' Commencement Address.