Hoping for Adversity (to go away?)

It rained several times last week in Denver following a dry and hot period, but before the rain came and during that dry spell, I had to answer that difficult, universal existential question: To water or to not water? (At least on the high plains desert of Denver, it is a difficult universal and for the grass existential question.)

In Colorado, water is limited resource, and you don’t want to waste it. But the question goes beyond conservation: early, frequent watering has a negative effect on the strength of the grass. Sounds rather uninteresting, I know, but I think the principle extends to some extent to humans—and that’s more interesting.

I once attended a class from the local water company on xeriscaping (a combination of the greek word for “dry” with the word “landscape” applied to creating a yard using minimal water). The teacher explained that if you water your grass too much, too often in May, the roots don’t grow as deeply as they would if they have to struggle for water during that period. If you water too much, too frequently in May, the heat of July and August taxes your short-rooted grass making it more susceptible to drought and heat, more likely to brown out and die—unless you dump lots more water on it. To get your grass ready for the adversity of summer heat and drought, you should make it work hard for water in May.

If this likewise applies to humans: Is the best preparation for adversity and hardship in life earlier adversity and hardship? Is that the only way to get our roots of faith, hope, stability and strength deep enough for the next challenge? It all sounds like we are (or would) be caught in a loop, but I think it rather an upward spiral. Life was meant to challenge us from birth to death; adversity is a crucial part of it. Why, then, do we (read “me”) always want it to be easy? (Don’t answer that: I already know.)

Nonetheless, all of that is not to say that we don’t need positive support and experiences in our lives. But like the grass, we don’t need frequent, superficial, appearance-only support: we all need meaningful support and friendship that nurtures us and draws us to a stronger, deeper, more meaningful, more satisfying level of life.