Introduce gardening into your daily routine
Let's disrupt the routine, shall we
I don’t know about you, but this time has given a new definition to the word ‘routine’. The monotony of the day to day has been ruthless. The garden with its physical work and ability to witness continuous change has kept me inspired and grounded, even level headed you could say.
Not only is it a sanctuary but a guide and mentor in perseverance and patience. Above all, it’s a playing field for disruption, unexpected twists, and inevitable breakthroughs. So amidst the natural cadence of a garden's seasonal routine there is always a form of surprise, challenge and delight. The perfect medicine or antidote to a monotonous routine.
Prepare to participate
I prepared myself for this time. I was willing to participate and take care of something outside of myself, only to realize that it coincidentally would take care of me for the next twenty years.
I can’t imagine life without the garden. Gardening has kept me sane these last few months. My messy, daily ritual of stewardship is a tactile and sensorial act of transformation – an experiment with soil, seed, water, and warmth.
Like other art forms, I’m able to experience first hand how healing it is. I’m reminded to trust life. In other words to be patient, slow down my rhythms, have faith in the intelligence of seeds and plants, and most importantly, delight in the process of which I don’t have control. It will unfold with or without me.
An act of presence and discovery
Connecting to nature and being outside is one of the most accessible and soul inspiring acts one can participate in daily. To think, we all had gardens at one time. Planting, harvesting, and making delicious meals is not a lifestyle of the past. It’s a worthy act of presence.
Sure I experienced the highs and devastating lows – an incredible harvest followed by a crop that was a little sick and eaten entirely by grasshoppers. Sometimes it just doesn’t work. It’s as if the garden whispers, I’m everything and nothing. I’m the beauty of change itself. Come outside, I want to talk with you.
I step outside to break the routine or introduce a new one. I let go and re-evaluate. I begin again. I recognize the importance and reward of being present. I recognize my nature growing and expanding and transforming.
Participation is presence
How do you go about doing this? Well here’s a few things that I do. Lead with gratitude. Welcome whatever comes.
Have curiosity of where and how you can grow a portion of your own fruits and vegetables.
Start observing the plants around you. How they flower, where does the seed come from, what stage of life are they in now?
Be inspired to cook in a new way. Soups and pies are fantastic, who doesn’t love a good pie, and what stomach is not nourished with a delicious bowl of soup.
Find comfort in spaces which inevitably evolve and transform. Your home and garden are creative canvases to explore. As an extension of you they should transform as naturally as you do.
Food which is homegrown is far more nourishing than that which is driven by trends and fads and divorced from its source. Trends and fads eventually melt away, nor do they have the same resonance. You’ll feel really good.
Remember that you are of the land. We’re nourished by it, receive life from it, and in the end, go back to it. Participate with it.
Allow yourself to be impacted by the natural process of beginnings and endings. If something isn’t growing well, no need to force it.
The garden teaches us about life; participation and presence are its gift.