The Mango Payoff

Today is Tax Day in the USA.  I wait patiently every year as this date creeps up closer and closer.  I have worked with the same Tax guy for almost 30 years who has helped me file my taxes.  For a fee of course.  I consider him a friend but there are sometimes when he drives me crazy.  Except for our actual tax appointment, he’s very busy and hardly ever responds when I call or send a text.  And then after our tax appointment, he’ll send my filing for review.  If I have a question or correction, he’ll respond, but usually days later.  I’ve gotten used to it but in that last month before April 15 I am always on edge until I get that email confirmation that my taxes have been filed and accepted.

It’s also Songkran festival in Thailand which is the new year celebration in Thailand.  Everyone throws water at each other as if you are part of a great big water balloon or squirt-gun water fight, all in good fun.  But honestly, I’m not that excited about getting wet if I’m going out say, to the mall, or shopping for groceries, or something like that.  So, we are careful to take alternate, less busy (less people squirting water at passing cars), and longer routes to our destinations.  Or we just stay home till the festival is over and then go out a few days later.

Last year around this time I wrote a blog about growing fruit in Thailand and that in our backyard, we had started growing mangosteen, mangos, and limes.  Well, I can report that I have mixed results.  We did our best to patiently water and fertilize the plants.  We even have a gardener who supposedly keeps all our vegetation in tip-top shape but we’ve found out they are basically glorified lawn waterers. And most of our lawn is brownish if that tells you anything.  

But back to the fruit.  Unfortunately, our two mangosteen trees didn’t make it.  They died and went to tree heaven.  The lime bush (I thought it was a tree but it’s actually more bush-like) is doing pretty well.  We’ve gotten some limes.  Nothing too big or too juicy but I’m not complaining.  I squeeze the juice in my water and enjoy.  I’m hoping for a better yield next time.  I guess the gardener felt sorry for us (or guilty) and replaced one of the mangosteen trees with a pomegranate tree which is doing pretty well though still small. We’ve also recently started an herb/veggie garden with bok choy, bell peppers, and zucchini.  I’m happy to say so far so good.  I just hope the heat and the critters don’t get to them. 

The real payoff, though, has been with our mango tree.  After about a year from my last blog article, we’ve reaped a wonderful bounty of mango fruit.  Some of them weigh in at over one pound each!  My wife patiently wrapped each fruit in a paper or plastic bag as it ripened on the tree over the last few months in order to keep bugs out.  We dutifully watered and fertilized.  We were patient about when we picked them too, allowing them to first ripen on the tree and then wait for a few days after picking them.  Finally, we ate them.  And I must tell you – they were delicious.  My wife wants to give some to our neighbors but I’m being very stingy in what we hand out.  This, after all, is our triumph of gardening in Thailand.  The payoff was well worth it.

So, what does filing taxes, hiding from Songkran squirt gun warriors, and growing fruit have to do with each other? Well, I’m sure you figured it out, but it all comes down to one word:

Patience.

We all need a little patience, right?  Especially now with the speed of things like AI and the internet.  Everyone wants things done yesterday.  But honestly, that’s how it’s always been.  Instant gratification.  I want it now, so I deserve it now.  And how often, when we rush things, do they ever work out the way we want?  And how often, with just a little bit of patience, do we see the big picture of how things usually work out for the best which we only see in hindsight.

Patience.  Can you dig it?  (Okay my 70s are showing).  As 14th-century English poet William Langland wrote: "patience is a virtue" which is as true then as it is now.  True for all time, in fact, wouldn’t you agree? Here are some other views about patience I invite you to patiently read and meditate on. 

• Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth. (James 5:7) 

• Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. (Romans 12:12)

• Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way. (Psalm 37:7)

• Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. (1 Corinthians 13:4)

• Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (Colossians 3:12)

• A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel. (Proverbs 15:18)

• And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. (Galatians 6:9)

• The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9) 


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