Throughout his essays, Gay uses gardening and nature to symbolize many different aspects of life. In “‘Joy is Such a Human Madness:’ The Duff Between Us,” Gay uses fungal duff that transports nutrients from healthy trees to weak trees as a representation of how joy is the underground connection between humans. Similarly, Gay uses fig cuttings in “Transplanting” to represent how sometimes things must be cut down to be replanted and bloom again. He uses the way the amaranth flower spreads seeds as a symbol of exponential growth and gratitude. Gardening is a large part of Gay’s life, and he often returns to his garden to enjoy the beauty of the world around him and connect to himself and the earth.

How perspectives change as one grows older is a motif that appears in many of Gay’s essays. Gay frequently writes nostalgically about his childhood and traces many of his beliefs to the ways his parents taught him to view the world. In “My Birthday, Kinda” and “Infinity,” Gay remembers stereotypes he was taught about bright colors and what masculinity is supposed to look like. He also remembers how his childhood self kept a wallet he found on the sidewalk and reflects on the fact that as an adult, he would work hard to return the wallet to its original owner because of his faith in common decency.