The Little Seed

The Little Seed

Once upon a time, there were seeds blowing about in the desert land. The seeds were carried by the wind and sand continuously from one sand dune to another. The intensity and irregularity of the sand wind made it impossible for the seeds to settle down in one place.

One fine day, the wind subsided, and finally, the seeds settled on the sand. All the seeds feared that they might be swirled by the wind at any time and didn’t plan to ground their roots in the place where they had settled. They also thought, even if they were to settle there, there was no way they could survive in this barren desert. So, all the seeds remained idle. But one little seed was determined to settle down and grow. All the seeds mocked that little seed’s idea, saying, “You’re going to grow in the desert? It can’t be done. You won’t survive. You won’t make it.”

But all the little seed said was, “Yes, I can if I think I can.” So, the seed paid no heed to what the others said and firmly planted itself in one spot. The Little seed opened itself up and sent a little root down first. Then, gradually, it let a shoot grow up.

Then the wind started to blow, and all the seeds began to swirl around with the sand. But the little seed had already sent its roots below the surface of the sand, making it impossible to be carried away by the wind.

In a couple of days, the little seed grew into a green sprout. Soon, the shoot grew taller and taller until it became a beautiful small tree. The tree stood majestically against the bright golden sand and the brilliant blue sky.

All the other seeds were amazed and surprised, but they kept shouting as they spun by, “It can’t be done growing in the desert. It’s no fun. You won’t survive, even if you grow tall. You’ll definitely fall.” Again, all the seed said was, “Yes, I can if I think I can.”

Years went by, and the tree grew bigger and stronger. It also started dropping little seeds to the ground. Very soon, these new seeds sprouted and sent their roots and shoots around.

It didn’t take long before several other trees grew strong and tall around the first tree. These trees started drawing moisture up to the surface of the desert. Soon, the sand was moist enough for grass to grow. The water began to bubble to the surface, forming a wonderful small pond. Very soon, little birds and insects flew to this beautiful place and made it their home. When they came, they carried all kinds of seeds, which grew into beautiful plants and flowers all around.

One fine day, some weary travelers were making their way across the desert. They noticed the trees, grass, and pond nearby, so they relaxed under the shade and drank from the pond. When the travelers stayed, they ate some fruits and scattered the seeds around. The seeds took hold in the sand just like that one seed and grew into magnificent fruit-bearing trees. The desert was now a beautiful place, with brown sand and green trees, full of vegetation.

So, the next time you seek shade under a tree, remember that it took one brave seed to start to grow. Whenever anyone says, “It’s impossible and couldn’t be done,” that’s the time you need to say to yourself, “I can if I think I can.”