On one of those hot summer days when joy and passion pulsed through every flower and plant in the garden, young Lemon sapling, heavy with sorrow, turned to Date and asked,
“Oh Date, I feel utterly exhausted. Do you feel the same?”
Date, radiant with the joy of life, responded in surprise,
“Me? Not at all! I love life. Why would I be tired of it?”
Lemon, even more disheartened by Date’s firm reply, sighed and said,
“The more I listened to Walnut and spent time near him, the more drained I felt. That’s what puzzles me—you’re always by his side, listening to his teachings, yet you never seem tired or weary like I do.”
Turning to Turnip, Lemon asked,
“What about you, Turnip? Are you like Date, full of life? Or have you, like me, grown weary and discouraged from being around Walnut?”
Turnip, unable to relate to Lemon’s feelings, replied,
“Weary? What are you talking about, Lemon? I listen to Walnut’s lessons with all my heart, reflect on them deeply, and try my best to put them into practice. To be honest, I’m truly grateful for everything I've learned from him. That’s why I’m not sure what you mean.”
Date, with a tone of gentle concern, asked,
“Why are you so tired, Lemon? How much work do you really do during the day? What exactly has worn you out so much?”
Lemon replied, “No matter how hard I try, it all feels pointless. I’ve been listening to Walnut’s teachings for ages and practicing them, but not only have I made no progress—I’ve only grown more and more exhausted.
I didn’t even realize how worn out I was… until something suddenly woke me up to it. I thought maybe, if I share this experience, it might help you too.”
Turnip and Date exchanged thoughtful glances, falling silent. Eggplant and Cabbage, who had overheard the conversation, said nothing at all.
Finally, Cabbage broke the silence. “Who helped you become aware of your exhaustion? The one who pointed this out to you must be a rather intriguing plant.”
Date, visibly annoyed, said, “I don’t understand. How can anyone grow tired of being around Walnut? I could sit beside him my entire life and never feel drained.”
Turnip agreed, “I’ve always found joy and excitement in Walnut’s company. Even during moments when he himself seemed tired, it never wore me down.”
Then, he thought to himself, “I must ask Walnut about this. After all, he is the wisest plant I know.”
Just then, Lemon’s voice pulled Turnip from his thoughts.
“These days, I think I should have chosen Onion as my teacher from the very beginning.”
A hush fell over the garden as every plant turned in surprise toward young Lemon.
Under their gazes, Lemon continued, “You know, Onion told me he’s an exceptionally wise teacher. He also said, ‘Have you noticed that Walnut only has two layers—shell and core—whereas I have forty-nine layers? These many layers reflect the depth of experience and wisdom hidden within my soul.’”
Green Pepper, excited at the mention of Onion, chimed in,
“I actually have a story about Onion too! One day, while I was near him, I noticed he had a very strange smell. I asked him about it, and he said, ‘Every special plant has a special scent. When the layers of your being run deep and are rich with old, weathered experiences, it’s only natural to have such a smell.’ So, according to Onion’s words, Walnut must not possess any remarkable wisdom or experience.”
Carrot joined in,“Then it’s likely that Onion is far deeper and wiser than Walnut. I mean, when could two layers ever compare to forty-nine?”
Almond tree, who had always stood loyally by Walnut and fully aware of the events and challenges that had unfolded, wanted to speak—but reminded himself,
“Walnut always urges me to stay calm and patient. So for now, I will remain quiet and still.”
After a while, Turnip said,
“I have a question—how is it that Walnut himself, after all these years of work and effort, has never grown tired?”
This stirred murmurs among the plants, each offering their own thoughts and guesses. Turnip, as always thoughtful, eventually made his way toward Walnut to hear the answer from him.
When he reached Walnut, he asked,
“O Walnut, some plants in the garden say they’ve grown tired of being near you. Have you also grown weary of your path or your companions?”
Walnut replied with a gentle, contented smile, “Thank you for asking me this question, my dear Turnip.”
Turnip was surprised. “But Walnut, I just told you they’ve grown tired of you—even I felt ashamed to be the bearer of such bitter news. Yet you thank me?”
Walnut answered,
“I’ll tell you why I’m grateful, but first, let’s check on Lemon and see how he’s doing.”
When Walnut approached Lemon, he asked,
“Dear Lemon, I don’t recall you ever complaining about being tired. How long have you been feeling this way without saying a word? Or did this feeling come over you all of a sudden?”
Lemon hesitated,“To be honest, I’m not sure. Maybe I’ve always been tired but didn’t realize it.”
Walnut, with a firm and resonant voice, asked,
“Was it only after Onion said something that you noticed this weariness in yourself? Did his words awaken this feeling in you? Could it be that the moment you heard him speak about exhaustion, that’s when the feeling arose?”
Lemon, visibly confused, stammered,
“I don’t know. Maybe you’re right, Walnut. Maybe the feeling of tiredness only came after I heard what Onion said. Why can’t I understand what’s happening to me? Why am I so confused? I wish someone could help me find what I’ve lost.”
Walnut replied calmly,
“When you receive words from Onion, you must be cautious—because he speaks from deep within earth, and from there his words arise. All the earthly and egoic layers are active within him. If you let his words sink into you, they will take root and grow over time. And once they’ve spread within you, it becomes very difficult to remove them. That’s why, from the beginning, you must be careful not to let them in.”
Lemon scratched his branch nervously and said,
“You’re right. Now that I think about it, I remember how good I felt before I spoke with Onion. His words had an effect on me and led me down a path of despair. Tell me—what should I do now?”
Walnut continued,
“Onion was right when he said he has forty-nine layers, and I have only two. But I have one thick outer shell that protects my inner core—gifted to me by sun and gardener—so that nothing can easily reach my sacred center. That inner layer is divine, delicate, and sensitive. Of course it needs strong protection.”
Lemon, lowering his head, said softly,
“Forgive me, Walnut. I thought having more layers meant more experience and wisdom.”
Walnut said, “You’re not wrong about my layers. But regardless of whether what you said is true or not, the tone of your words was significant.
The way we feel inside when we speak matters more than the words themselves. You could’ve said what you said without resentment, sorrow, or bitterness. But when you mix truth with lowly emotions, you burden others with your pain—and in doing so, you bring sadness not only to them, but also to yourself.
You must be careful not to poison the truth with negative emotions, for that is a betrayal of the garden and all who live in it.”
Lemon, ashamed, said,
“Yes, I understand now, dear Walnut. Your words have always rescued me from confusion and led me into the light—like a loving father who never lets go of his child’s hand until they reach their destination. May I… may I call you Father? If you allow me to call you that, then perhaps I will no longer suffer from this painful sense of fatherlessness.”
Walnut replied, “Yes, for now, you may call me Father. But know this—I am not your true father. The true father of every plant is Sun. And if you grow enough, you will reach Him. Until then, I will guide you as a father would.”
After a moment of silence, Walnut turned to Lemon again and asked,
“Now tell me—if you were not beside me on this path, what would you be doing instead? Would you have a better, more meaningful task to pursue? If so, go and do it, and if not, then do this with love.”
Then Walnut turned to all the plants and said:
“My dear friends, know this: feeling weary is entirely natural for any plant seeking growth. This feeling has come to us all—or it will, eventually. But remember, weariness is a burden of the mind. It must never be allowed to halt our journey. The right path should never be abandoned simply because we are tired. Now, tell me—does anyone know where this weariness comes from? And why did Master Onion’s words strike Lemon so deeply, unsettling the very core of his heart?”
For a moment, silence filled the garden. Then Walnut continued:
“It’s because, one day, Lemon thought to himself, I must be better than the others.”
At that moment, Lemon burst in, clearly distressed: “That’s true—completely true! For so long, I’ve wanted to be sweeter than Orange. But Walnut, how did you know?”
Walnut ignored the question and went on calmly:
“That thought was the root of your mistake. It dragged you into a harsh competition with Orange, and you poured all your energy into it.
Eventually, exhausted from the struggle, you no longer had the strength to tend to your inner world. And in that vulnerable state, a single sentence from Master Onion found its way deep into your soul— and it shook you to your core.”
Then he turned to Lemon and said,
“Do you now realize how misguided it was to strive so hard to outshine others?
If you had focused on becoming the best version of yourself—without comparing or competing— weariness wouldn’t have overwhelmed you. And even if it had come, it wouldn’t have had the power to bring you down.”
Hidden in your exhaustion was a silent despair. And that despair was born of pride, ignorance, and a lack of true understanding of your inner world. The entire challenge began with a mistaken thought—‘I must be better than others’—and ended with a destructive one—‘I am too tired to go on.’
If I hadn’t been here today, you might have turned against your own path, against me, even against the Sun—and destroyed yourself entirely.”
No one spoke. Silence blanketed the garden; not a single word was uttered.
Walnut gave a slight shake and prepared to leave. As he walked away, he thought to himself: “How strange... Turnip forgot to ask his question again.”
