The End

                Today was last official day of our gardening project.  By official, I mean just the project so far as the grading goes.  I went to Carlton Street, just to see how things are looking. The plants are all still alive, so I count that as a good thing. Our little seeds have not sprouted into full growth yet but I have come to terms with the fact that my initial vision of picking tomatoes off the vine by this point was not exactly plausible.

                There are many things I have learned through this process, about myself and about life in general.  I understand the meaning of patient, something I have always struggled with before.  I also discovered that there are times were it is ok to be alone.  In today’s society, especially in college, I think that there is a misconception of being alone and being lonely.  People are so afraid to be lonely that they have to surround themselves with others. I use to be self-conscious about going places alone, not wanting to give off the impression that there was something wrong with me, with who I was.  However, I have found that I enjoy going to the garden alone.  I feel at peace and feel no need to have company.

                On the other hand, I feel this project has bonded our class in a way that I have not witnessed elsewhere in my Lehigh experience.   We are jocks, greek, musicians, artists, seniors, juniors, sophomores and graduate students. We come from all different aspects of life and yet we have a common connection over this garden.  I feel like I have actually gotten to know the people in this class, not something I can say about my other classes. Professor Lotto, thank you so much for allowing us to go off the charts and do something different. I will always remember this project. I look forward to continuing to garden this summer. For all those who are not graduating, I hope to see you around next year. For those who are, I hope you come visit the garden as alums and remember the mark we left on the Bethlehem Community.