Happy Gardening
My dear friend gave me this book. I have been enjoying reading it- not only for the gardening advice but also for the life lessons.
Are you a gardener? Do you like to feel the warm earth in your hands? The smell of soil and mulch? Revel in the warmth of the sun on your shoulders and face?
While the contractors still have a punch list for finishing the house remodel, we have finally moved in most of our items, unpacked the boxes and have put away our things. It is now time to turn my attention to the outside of the house: the side and front yards. I have so many ideas in my head but I know that I need to edit them down. So, I’ve tried to make a list of what flowers I like, what flowers will do well in our location and what would look appropriate/in keeping with our older home. I also want to reduce as much of the grass/lawn as possible, add wildflowers for the pollinators and perhaps try my hand at vegetables.
Over the years I have read a plethora of gardening books, magazines and articles. There is nothing more satisfying than turning the glossy pages containing brightly colored, beautifully photographed lush gardens. I am a sucker for cottage gardens. Probably due to watching too many English murder/dramas in my youth, but I absolutely love the look of cut wild flowers overflowing in a ceramic jug- bringing that wildness indoors.
Regardless of the style, the “experts” recommend that one starts with a plan and a garden design. While I would love to have a plan, I am really a what-the-heck, just-plop it-in, type of gardener. When I have tried to design a garden, I start with the intention of beautifully drawn, recognizable plants, all set in an easy to follow garden plan but alas, I generally end up with a page of scribbles.
What I like about gardening is that there are so many life lessons. One learns how to: be patient, be creative, stop and witness wonder, share, nurture a living thing, stay optimistic, foster hope. In addition, there are so many physical and mental benefits of being outside and working “the land” even if that land is a small terracotta pot: reduce stress, improve immune system, lower blood pressure, improve mental clarity, among other things.
What about you? Any gardening plans this spring/summer? Have you ever designed a written plan? What are your favorite plants? Favorite style?
If you have never grown anything or think you cannot grow anything- give it a try. If I can grow plants, you can. Years ago my husband made a cold frame for me so that I could overwinter some plants and get a head start on the spring seeds. Our boys referred to it as “the death chamber”. Need I say more? Gardening produces persistence.
NEWS: Just received my copies of Guideposts, Angels On Earth, May/June 2023 containing my article-“The Fun Starts Now”.
Smile
The other morning I was painting some molding for our basement remodel and was listening to some music. The song, “Smile” came on and perhaps for the first time in all the years that I have heard it, I listened to the words.
In some ways, it has a universal truth: smile even when you do not feel like it. Of course, that doesn’t mean to submerge your feelings. When we are at rock bottom- whatever the cause- we might not be physically, emotionally or spiritually able. But, I would contend that some times we are just being ornery- we want what we want and we want to be annoyed, angry or upset. We just like living in that pit.
I know that I sometimes feel that I just want to stay annoyed and mad at the world, and so I go about my day with a scowl on my face. I get so caught up in my own concerns, ruminating over the seemingly unfairness of life that I forget to smile.
In our old location, it was easy to go about with a scowl on one’s face. It seemed that many people I passed did. When I would smile and say hello, most generally I would not receive any response. Just a head down and a quick walk away. After receiving that type of response, it was easier to not even try.
These last couple of years with our masks and face coverings have brought home to me one of the many things that we lacked due to Covid: smiling and responding in kind. Sure, you can see the crinkly eyes above the mask, but it is not the same as seeing the upward curvature of lips, white teeth and perhaps a dimple or two. It is a joy to see a whole person. In person.
In our new place, I have yet to find too many taciturn New Englanders. Most are ready with a smile and hello. Not all. There is a curmudgeonly receptionist at one of the building centers with whom I have had to interact. Not exactly unpleasant. But not pleasant. Of course, this isn’t a scientific study with controlled variables. Since moving up here I am practicing smiling and greeting with most everyone I meet. And I usually receive a response back. Sometimes it is a lovely little chat or some interesting information about the area. Almost every encounter makes me feel good.
I think smiling makes us approachable. It draws one another into community. I think people notice people who smile, which in turn gives the smiler confidence. It also gives the one who receives the smile, confidence: both individuals are noticed. Isn’t that the beginning of community- seeing each other. Of course, the skeptics could say by smiling at all sorts of people, one can attract all sorts of people and maybe not the type one wants? But I think it is worth the risk.
The other day I was coming out of a store and an older looking Asian gentleman was walking in. I smiled and said hello. He stopped. Smiled. Proceeded on his way and then turned, in halting English and said, “Miss (that word alone was worth the smile!), do you know where Alton Avenue is?” And so I engaged with him, trying to find the address on my phone and to give him directions via words and gesticulations.
Of course, I will never know what happened after he left the parking lot. Hopefully he got to his destination. Still, those encounters are the filaments that connect each of us. It may seem small and insignificant like a single embroidery thread, but when we interweave our threads, we have a stronger community tie and a much richer tapestry.
What about you? Are you a smiler? Do you speak to people when you are out? To the grocery checker? The waitstaff? The neighbor you pass on the street? The homeless person sitting at the corner? Your family member or roommate?
I am going to try a 30 Day Challenge: To smile at those I pass during my day to day activities and invite you to do the same. It will be interesting to see what is the reaction and how the smiling changes or doesn’t change the outcomes of our day.
Benefits of smiling:
Live longer
Relieves stress
Elevates mood
Is contagious
Boosts immune system
May lower blood pressure
Reduces pain
Makes you attractive
Suggests success- confident
Helps you stay positive
https://online.uwa.edu/news/benefits-of-smiling-and-laughter/
https://www.hopkinsallchildrens.org/Patients-Families/Health-Library/HealthDocNew/Good-Reasons-to-Smile
https://www.hopkinsallchildrens.org/Patients-Families/Health-Library/HealthDocNew/Good-Reasons-to-Smile