The Seeds We Didn’t Know We Planted

October Harvesting Wisdom Blog Series – Week 1

October is a season of gathering. The fields are full, the apples are ripe, the pumpkins are heavy on the vine. It’s a reminder that months ago, seeds were planted—and some of them we may have forgotten about entirely.

Can you believe the pumpkins that I tossed in the ditch last fall grew new pumpkins?🎃

Well, life works that way too.

In my hardest seasons—the ones marked by grief, betrayal, or transition—I felt like the soil of my life was barren. Nothing good could grow there. But looking back, I see that seeds were quietly being planted: resilience, patience, courage. I didn’t notice them then, but they took root all the same.

Growth We Can’t Always See

Seeds don’t sprout the moment they’re planted. Some take weeks, some wait for the right season, some only push through when rain finally comes. The same is true for wisdom.

Maybe you’ve had years when survival felt like your only accomplishment. Getting out of bed, making coffee, whispering a small prayer—those didn’t seem like much at the time. But they planted seeds of endurance and self-trust. Over time, they grew into quiet strength you carry today.

Signs of Hidden Wisdom

Wisdom often shows itself only in hindsight:

• Caring for an aging parent taught you how strong your voice can be.

• Surviving heartbreak showed you the depth of your capacity to love and heal.

• Years of showing up for others taught you the sacred necessity of boundaries.

These weren’t lessons you signed up for—but they’re seeds you now harvest.

A Coaching Shift

Instead of asking, Why am I not further along? try asking, What has grown in me that I didn’t expect?

It might be patience. Compassion. The ability to sit with your feelings instead of running from them. Those are not small things—they are wisdom-seeds.

Reflection Prompt

This week, take five minutes to journal on this question:

“What seeds were planted in my hardest seasons that I can recognize now as wisdom?”

You might be surprised at what comes up.

Carrying It With You

Just like the farmers gathering their fields, you can gather the wisdom you didn’t even know you planted. This is your harvest season too.

And if you’d like to walk with others who are naming and gathering their own wisdom, I invite you to join us in the Midlife Surprise Society—our free community where stories, struggles, and strength are shared. You don’t have to harvest alone.

Closing thought: The seeds you didn’t know you planted may turn out to be the strongest roots you’ll ever grow.