In my career as nature and science educator I've found again and again people will automatically deny themselves a relationship with a bird, plant, etc. even before they give themselves a chance, just because they don't know their name. There is a stigma around nescience, or a lack of knowledge, which produces a lot of feelings of shame in generalized American culture, to the point they will deny themselves curiosity and learning.

I was already inclined to reimagine the meaning of what a garden is and should be, but now instead of some amorphous notion of planting for the future, I have born witness to that future promise fulfilled. I’ll keep that… wish?… promise? with me, and with every new seed I plant, in the hopes to bare witness again.