There are two people. The first person has lived on an apple farm their whole life and the second person has lived and stayed in the city since birth. The First has seen, in immense detail, how the trees grow from seed, to sapling, to tree, to fruit, and back to seed again. The Second has only really seen the fruit, perhaps a seed that has fallen out here and there. A lifetime of only observing the fruits of others’ labor has left a lasting effect on the Second. It’s all about results. And with no knowledge of the process behind those results, inevitably it seems quite easy. But one day, the Second takes a bite out of an apple and a seed falls to the ground. That seed becomes an idea. “I’m going to grow an apple tree of my own!” the Second says.

A month later, after finding a nice apple farm outside the city, the Second meets the First and they begin talking about apple trees.

“This can’t be that hard,” says the Second, referring to the process of making apples, “I have plenty of seeds right here, I just have to put them in the ground and let them grow!”

With a small half smile the First says, “It makes sense that you would see it that way, having lived in the city your whole life, only ever seeing the fruits of others’ labor. But I assure you, it is nowhere near that simple.”

The Second quickly responded, “What do you mean? I guess you’re right, there must be other things you have to do. Watering and stuff… Right?”

“Yes. There are many more things to do actually, more than just watering. One must plant the seeds at the proper depth, or they will die before becoming saplings. One must place them in the right setting, otherwise they won’t get the sun or nutrients they need. One must water them daily, otherwise they will wither away and will never yield fruit. But most of all, more than all of this, one must love their tree. Because without love, all of the time it takes to do all these tasks will seem like a chore. And if they seem like a chore then, well… you’ll probably start taking shortcuts or forget about your tree all together. It’s not just about planting a tree, it’s about merging your life with the life of that tree. Then and only then, will you find yourself with a tree that bears fruit.”

On that day, without really knowing it, the Second began an endless fruitful journey. Grow.