A Life's Passion, A Labor of Love

Dennis and I have been together, dating years and all, going on 20 years now. Longer than we'd been alive when we first met.  In the beginning, at first glance, some thought we were opposites in many ways.  I was in my grunge/hippie phase, complete with art major, combat boots and granny skirts (yeah she's still in there and waiting for retirement or perhaps some windfall of independent wealth to be set free again). He was the slightly preppy, clean cut,  basketball loving and very by the book Horticulture major. But strange as we seemed to some we worked.

He helped me see that I didn't need to be wild to be free and that I wasn't giving up some grand fight against conformity if I allowed myself to have a little structure, I loosened him up and encouraged him to let go of some of his self inflicted, sometimes consuming sense of duty and showed him that it was okay to let himself be him and that there was nothing wrong with letting the plan be flexible and seeing everything in a new light.

We balanced each other.  I think in some ways he is more the hippie that I was now and I'm the one a little too constrained by my own invisible set of rules.  We're at the middle of life though and starting to realize everything is more gray space than anything else and were going to let ourselves explore all it's many shades and encourage each other in our journey.

Through everything he has had one constant,  gardening.  He's known since twelve that he wanted a career in Horticulture.  His passion for that is as strong as my need to write or make things.  I consider it his form of art.  I'm often in awe of his dedication to his art form as well.  I try to help with the outcome of this life's passion but a lot of times I stay at a distance and watch him create.  Living things and the knowledge of them come to him as easy as breathing and I don't think he could manage to go on without the ability to do what he does.

I love him for that.  For all of what makes him, him. At times when the front porch is overran with potted plants and I'm shifting piles of seed packets all over the kitchen and when we can't find the counters for the years harvest I can be a little overwhelmed but I wouldn't have him or this life any other way.  He's my best friend and I respect and love his art.