What Spring Is Really Teaching Me
Spring has a way of pulling our attention toward what’s visible. The green growth, the early flowers, the sense that everything is finally coming to life. But as I’ve spent more time on the farm these past few weeks, I’ve been reminded that spring is not just about growth.
It’s also about stress.
A Different Kind of Environment
Right now, my vegetable starts are teaching me this lesson in real time. With the warmer temperatures and steady wind we’ve been getting, they are drying out much faster than I expected. Some of these trays need water almost daily, which is a big shift from when I was growing in the basement under artificial light with controlled airflow and consistent conditions.
The greenhouse has changed everything. More sun, more heat, more exposure to wind (for ventilation). More stress. And I can see how the plants respond. Some are thriving in it. Some are struggling. All of them require more attention from me.
This new environment is shaping them, and it’s forcing me to stay closer and more observant. Because the same conditions that can strengthen a plant can also overwhelm it if I’m not paying attention.
The Kind of Stress That Builds
There’s something important happening in that tension. Plants that experience wind develop stronger stems. Plants that grow in natural light adapt in ways that controlled environments don’t quite replicate. When they are stretched just enough, they tend to become more resilient over time.
But there’s always a line.
Too little stress and they stay fragile. Too much stress and they break.
Finding that balance is not easy, and I’m realizing it requires presence more than anything else. Watching closely. Responding quickly. Adjusting based on what I’m seeing instead of what I expected.
Bringing This Into the Business
I’m seeing the same pattern show up in our business.
We’ve created a new environment for how we operate. New ways of thinking, new expectations, and new challenges (this thing called AI 😉). That naturally brings stress, not the kind that comes from chaos, but the kind that comes from growth and stretching into something new.
I can feel it in myself, and I can see it across the team.
And just like on the farm, the goal isn’t to remove that stress. The goal is to care for people within it. To stay close, to pay attention, and to make adjustments when needed so that the stress builds strength rather than causing burnout.
Holding the Balance
Because if handled well, this kind of stress can be healthy. It can build resilience. It can prepare us for what’s ahead. It can lead to better fruit.
If handled poorly, it can do the opposite.
That’s the balance I’m learning to hold right now. Allow the stress, but don’t let it break what you’re trying to grow. Challenge, but support. Push forward, but stay present enough to know when to ease off.
A Thought to Carry Forward
On the farm, plants don’t grow in spite of stress. They grow because of the right kind of it.
The same is true for us as human beings.
At the end of the day, growth needs stress, but it also needs someone paying attention.
This post first appeared on April 18, 2026 in Sowing Success, my weekly LinkedIn newsletter on leadership and organic farming. Read the original on LinkedIn.
