One's Own Garden

But devotion to grandiose schemes within the public arena necessarily requires relinquishing to others the cultivation of one's own garden.
from Domestic Tranquility: A Brief Against Feminism, by F. Carolyn Graglia

I've just begun this book--I'm not yet halfway through chapter one--but there are so many quotable quotes already. In my case the "grandiose scheme" is obviously "No Child Left Behind"--a social idealism that is neither practical, realistic, or achievable. How thankful I am that, as of yet, my garden is mostly a plot of seeds, with only a few hearty plants that do not require much tending to survive. (The same is true of my literal garden--my collection of dead herbs in the corner attests to the fact that only the hearty survive me.)
This morning, I got up, fixed breakfast, unloaded the dishwasher, loaded the handful of dishes that wouldn't fit last night, and put away the laundry. . .all while K got ready for his meeting at 9:00. It is refreshing to cultivate my little plot, even for a little bit. Now I must go back to the "grandiose scheme," as grades are due tomorrow and I still have much grading to do.