Growing my Garden
As I sip my coffee on this fine morning, I gaze out the window at my garden and reflect on the past month and a half.
I've been coming and going a lot—with multiple art shows, training for a marathon, family time, a wedding, friends, and all around summer vibes. It's high energy season to say the least. I pack up my bags, hit the road or the airport, then back again to unpack, repack, and do it all over again.
But no matter what, the first thing I do when I return home from an adventure is stroll out to my garden and say hello to my plants:
“Hi friends! I've missed you! How have you been? You sure have grown! Are you thirsty? What's been munching on you to give you these tiny holes? Do you need me to pull up these weeds so you have more room to grow?"
Sure, I might sound like a crazy lady communing with her garden, and maybe I am. But there's something about my gardening practice that grounds me and makes me feel like I've returned home.
Though this is only my second year of growing my own garden, I remember spending a lot of time in the garden with my mom as a kid. She would sit me down in the strawberry patch and I'd stuff my face with fresh berries. We'd get our hands in the dirt. She taught me to love the land, even though still to this day, I can't stand the bugs. They make me squirm.
Gardening can be a lot of work. This year I planted multiple rows of seeds that didn't even sprout. My tomatoes died. The lettuce was extremely slow to start. Some type of mushroom started popping up all over one of the beds, pushing out my baby plants. I had expectations that didn't get met and I got frustrated with my plants.
But then when I finally ate a salad full of vegetables that I myself grew, it was the most rewarding feeling. I worked with nature to feed myself. And by working with nature, I am learning not to take my food for granted. Not to take the rain for granted on days I don't have to water. After all, being a gardener (wow, this is the first time I have ever called myself that!) is not about controlling the garden—it is about working with it to help it grow.
My questions for you:
How are you showing up to the areas of your life that you want to see growth?
How might you be hindering growth?
How might you work with these areas to help them grow?
xx,
Gianna
