Reflecting on the “shelter-in-place” restrictions of the past few months raises many mixed emotions. However, a place or time of personal isolation can often be a place of unexpected blessing. As we begin to emerge from seclusion, what opportunities have you searched out to find peace and sanctuary by communing with nature? Many have taken this time to learn or return to the joy of gardening, their corner of heaven in their own backyard.
I feel blessed as I think of all the wonderful gifts my gardens have given to me, my family, my friends and others. Some gifts are tangible, such as my home-grown fruits and vegetables and the beautiful flowers. Just as important, are the gifts that benefit my soul as well as my emotional and physical well-being.
We spend our first 20 years growing up, mostly attending school. The next 40-50 years we spend raising a family and working. As we have put those years behind us, we now have time available to engage in activities we enjoy doing. Yet, for some, it can present challenges. Some of us still have the vigor and can still physically do what we did when we were 40. Others find it more difficult to do certain things. Unlike some physical activities, the beauty of gardening is that we can always find a way to garden. We may just need to modify how we garden, what we garden, where we garden and what tools we use.
During the past few years, my husband and I have been modifying our garden and our methods. We realized that as we have aged, we do not have the stamina we once had, and we are presented with physical limitations. We both reap emotional and physical benefits from gardening. We still want to enjoy gardening, but we are finding that we must modify what and how we garden. The point is, we are not giving up on something that we like doing, we are just finding ways to do it differently.
Most of the time I think of gardening as playing outside. During the summer mornings when I lived in the Central Valley I would tend to my garden before it got too hot. Now that I live in Humboldt, I can enjoy gardening without the heat. In fact, that was one of the main motivating factors for moving to the North Coast. During the rainy days I will be inside caring for my house plants. By modifying when and where I garden, I keep it enjoyable as play instead of a chore, or something that must be done. Gardening gets me up and moving while providing me physical activity and keeping my muscles and joints flexible.
Gardening lifts my spirits as it gives me purpose. Nurturing plants for harvesting fruits and vegetables and seeing the beauty of rose blossoms is richly rewarding. Every time I gaze upon nature's canvas, I am in awe of the beauty. Watching seedlings grow and become food, flower buds opening into intricate design and form while taking in the delicate fragrances, fills my entire being with such wonderful gifts.