Newly Planted or Lying Fallow?

I can't always tell the difference in the time when things are lying fallow and the time when new things have been planted but are as yet growing invisibly, under ground.

Remember that Frog and Toad story about planting seeds and how Frog (or was it Toad?) was impatient for the seeds to start growing - he played his violin for them, he talked to them, he shouted at them, and only when he fell asleep and awoke much later did he see the fruits of his planting activities.

There is, also, a very good reason to let things lie fallow for a while. It gives the soil a chance to rest and recover from being fruitful. And yet, this works great for certain crops but not others. In the American South, where cotton was grown season after season, letting fields lie fallow and/or rotating crops was necessary because the cotton leached all the nutrients out of the soil. But in China, where rice is grown, this is not the case.

When it comes to people, there's a similar issue. We need rest and rejuvenation. And yet we easily turn into couch potatoes. Sometimes we need to do more, not less, to keep mentally and physically in top form. Of course we all need breaks, but I think this may fall more appropriately into the crop rotation idea - I often need a change of scenery or something new to the routine or just a fun project rather than a lot of down time. But I end up taking a lot of down time because I feel tired. Which I think probably comes from not doing enough.

And like Frog (or was it Toad?) learned, stuff is always going on, even if you can't see it.

More food for thought, for me.