One day on my way to work, I was stopped at the light waiting to turn left. For some reason, I looked down to my left onto the median. And there, in the middle of a very busy US Hwy 19 in Florida (those who know, know) was a tomato plant…with one small tomato.
I couldn’t believe my eyes! No dirt, just a crack in the concrete! I could feel my mind bending!!! How?
My brain began to rapid-fire questions. Did someone discard the tomato that was wrongfully put on their sandwich? I hope it gets enough rain? Where did it get enough nutrition? How?
Then the possible answers. It only knew that it was supposed to be a tomato plant, so it found the necessary nutrients to grow that tomato. No excuses. Against all odds, cars, trash, heavy rains, completely alone, it grew. AAAnd grew a tomato, what?
We have something plants do not possess. We have the ability to choose our thoughts. Plants just know instinctively, no questions, no second-guessing, I am a tomato plant, period.
This hit me like a ton of bricks, and I never forgot that plant. Always wished I’d dug it up and brought it home, but I have no doubt this little plant worked very hard to get where it needed to be. Live and let live, right?
Fast forward to today. For those who are reading this blog and do not know me, I am currently taking a class called the Master Key Experience.
One of our assignments is to read one chapter of The Master Key System by Charles F Haanel every day for one week and do the exercise suggested.
This week’s suggestion is to grow a flower in your imagination from the seed in the dirt to the full-blown flower. How the cells divide, how the roots find nutrients, how it smells, how it dances in the wind.
I decided to go with a tomato plant because of the lesson I learn years ago from the one beside the road, plus I am currently waiting for my own cherry tomatoes to make their great entrance onto my plant in my screen room, yum!
Today, as I began my exercise, my thoughts stopped on the seed. Again with the mind-bending!! Again with the brain and its rapid-fire questions.
What was it before it went in the dirt? Where was the plant? How did it know it was in dirt? What woke it up? How does this relate to us living our best lives? Wowza!!
Possible answers? What I know is that if the soil is fertile (our minds are clear of nonsense) you can plant whatever you want and it will grow. Simple enough.
However, I assume the little tomato plant by the side of the road did not have fertile ground. And how is one supposed to know if they are supposed to grow tomatoes or Jalapeno peppers??
So I paused, and focused back in the seed. Its creator, Mama Tree, that grew the tomato, that gave us the tomato seed, always knew the little guy was supposed to be a tomato. It stayed dormant through the growth of the skin around it.
Through someone picking the fruit, transporting the fruit, preparing the fruit for eating, and in the above case, through it being tossed out the window. Then it hits the ground. I am a tomato plant is all it knows.
So, the lesson is, I discover what I am meant to be, plant that thought into my clear, open mind, dream about it every day, and fill my world with the right stimulus to fuel my success and poof…
I not only grow one tomato but an abundance of tomatoes! Enough for everyone!!!! And as for what my contribution to this world is supposed to be, tomato or jalapeno?
Maybe I’m just supposed to be the best version of myself, giving out unconditional love and acceptance, having fun along the way, my flavor of nourishment to others. Still working this one out. Not everyone wants Jalapeno’s anyway.
This whole story absolutely sizzles with insight Carrie —and just the right dash of tomato-plant magic. I love how you turned a roadside rebel veggie into a full-blown life lesson. That little plant survived Florida traffic… honestly, if that doesn’t prove resilience, nothing will.
And your takeaway is spot-on: clear the mind-soil, plant the right thought, and let your inner tomato do its thing. Whether you end up a tomato, a jalapeño, or a whole salsa platter, you’re clearly growing with heart, humor, and purpose. Keep blooming—you’re already unstoppable.
Isn’t it amazing how we learn so many valuable lessons through the nature when we are paying attention to things around us? How beautifully you have described what you saw by the road, “the little tomato plant”, and what lessons you recognized and applied! Thank you for sharing this valuable lesson and connecting to your MKE journey!
This is so cool! I remember when I used to hike the Alpine with my parents and you would see these little pine trees growing in literal rock crevices and the lichen surviving on the rock with nothing around it… like you said, it know nothing else, and is just a tree or lichen. it finds the micro nutrients it needs to survive. Is not our brain so much more powerful? What seeds can we plant and grow???
“What a powerful and beautifully articulated reflection, Carolyn. 🌱 Your story of the median tomato plant is a perfect metaphor for resilience and purpose. It’s so true—we have the ability to choose our thoughts, yet we often complicate our own growth with doubt and excuses. 💭 Your post was a profound reminder that, like the plant, we simply know what we are meant to be, and our job is to grow without excuses, regardless of the ‘concrete’ circumstances. 🚧➡️🍅 The connection you made to The Master Key System exercise is brilliant. 🔑 Focusing on the ‘seed’ of our true selves, nurturing it with the right thoughts, and trusting the process is the ultimate takeaway. Thank you for this nourishing reminder to be the best version of ourselves, whatever ‘flavor’ that may be. 🙏💖”