My tomato plant gives me a present

My cherry tomato plant finished growing its first tomato the other day. When we first met, the plant was only a little bigger than the one pictured below.

I am shocked by how emotionally attached I have become to this plant. It is my first attempt at gardening.

The plant now, with at least four green baby tomatoes growing

When I picked the tomato, I was overwhelmed with gratitude. I couldn't think of a sufficient way to express this, so I said thank you and kissed a leaf near where its first fruit had been.

I didn't feel worthy to eat the tomato that I had done so little to help grow, so I let it sit in the kitchen for a few days while I brainstormed alternatives.

The tomato resting on my porch

My first thought was to give it to Nate's mom, who has let me eat countless tomatoes from her own garden, but that didn't seem like a good idea since she already has more tomatoes than she can eat.

I also considered cutting it up and sharing it with multiple people, but it is so small that I was afraid a significant amount of its juicy insides would be wasted during the chopping.

After a few days, when it seemed to be too ripe to wait any longer, I decided to eat it. I had never before had so much fulfillment from eating! The process of watching a plant grow, watching its fruit grow, picking it, and eating it made me feel very close to the earth. I've recently gotten out of the habit of thanking god for food, but I might like to get into the habit of thanking nature for food.