Crepe Myrtle Commencement

Elizabeth Shin
UC Davis undergraduate,  4th year
Major: Landscape Architecture

The Crepe Myrtle in all its glory

I wish I could say that my week at the ranch went smoothly. In truth, I consistently
snoozed through my alarm an average of seven times before I got out of bed. It became routine to chug my coffee and sprint out of the door to be on time. By Friday, I could hardly pick up a shovel without my shoulders pleading me to stop. This was my first week working full time, and it was a struggle just showing up for work, not to mention actually doing my job.

This past week, we worked on filling the central garden bed with soil, planting around the mini horse and donkey pen, and transplanting the Crepe Myrtle. As most of the work we did was physical in over 100 degree weather, it took a major toll on my body, and I found myself making tons of mistakes. For instance, when we watered the soil before placing it inside the garden bed, which made it much heavier and way more difficult to shovel inside. Or, when we decided to dig one large trench spanning across the donkey pen instead of smaller holes for our plants. It felt like every decision I made was the wrong one, and I was just making my work more difficult for myself.
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But today, we finally planted the Crepe Myrtle. With my face sticky, hands sore, body aching, I took a step back and admired the work we had done. Although the tree is small, she is anchored by a network of roots, well-grounded in our curated soil blend. Planting the tree was more than just a task item I could check off my to-do list. Rather, it served as a reminder that I am growing and strengthening just as much as the Crepe Myrtle. Despite the challenges I faced, I was able to persevere, becoming stronger, both physically and mentally, in the end. It doesn’t matter if the tree is small now, what matters is that I know it will develop and blossom into so much more in the future. And just as we created the perfect soil blend for the tree to thrive, I know this ranch is the perfect environment for me to grow.