A Feel-Good Moment With a Poignant Personal Note

I drove past lots of parking lots filled with attendees at local graduations in June. Every year, the sight triggers a memory about June 1975. That year, I was a recent graduate of Penn State’s English program and I was riding across campus on my squeaky three-speed bicycle. I rode by an event at the agriculture school and decided to stop.

In the greenhouses, I saw seas of seedlings preening for sunlight. Outdoors, vegetable trials thrived in neat rows with scientific-looking labels. The scents of a dairy operation added to the effect.

The energy of the place was palpable and, as I rode away, I said to myself: “This is what I should have studied.”

I was just a visitor that day. I didn’t even know what to call those studies, but a deep connection had begun. I never forgot the moment, but it would be 34 years before I gave full voice to the whisper. Unfortunately, nothing else in my world led me to discover a career in the landscape except the long passage of time.

Unfortunately, there's still little in the education world or general society to lead other young people towards the landscape--even though they maybe well suited to one of the many careers available in horticulture, agriculture, landscape design, plant science, greenhouse operation, and so much more.  

Did you ever feel like you missed your calling, or know someone who feels that way? Learn my story and why I believe we need to encourage more people to enter the land-related professions. See: A Feel-Good Moment with a Poignant Personal Note  Zip06/TheDay If you have trouble with the link, please download the article below.