Garden Therapy

Today flew by as I tried to get my feet under me. I tried to catch up on what came home in the school folders on Friday, sort through the papers and mail that stacked up during the hospital stay, ran to Costco, and made 4 pints of pesto with the basil that is flourishing in our garden. I picked 2 huge zucchinis (the garden wasn't checked for a few days!) and 8 cups of beans and a dozen tomatoes and carrots. I wish William had more of his appetite back to help eat all this and I wish I had more time to try all the yummy recipes I collected when I had time to dream of our harvest. The variety of grilling accessories that Ryan got for Father's day in anticipation of many vegetable grilling evenings are still in wrapped in their packaging. At least I now know we can grow something. Our previous record isn't even worth mentioning.

As I was alone with my thoughts while checking the garden, I began to make gardening/life analogies. I thought about how miraculous it seems that our garden has done so well when we've neglected it the past 3 months. We put a great deal of effort into it the first few months of the year. We prepared the ground, built the structures (boxes, trellis', irrigation), researched plants, created a blueprint, planted and then sat back and waited for mother nature to work her magic or wreak her havoc. She did both. But not necessarily all in the garden.

There are many analogies here, but the one that stood out to me is how, like a garden needing to be tended and periodically fertilized, we go through life continually tending our physical and spiritual needs. We never know when the storms may hit or how long the droughts will last, but we hope that our preparation will protect us from complete ruin. Occasionally we need some fertilizer to boost productivity when something unexpected comes, but if the foundation was carefully constructed, then a harvest will still occur.

The harvest is rarely as we expect. Some seasons will yield plenty and some will be meager. Sometimes it will be because of error on the gardener's part and sometimes it will be a result of things beyond the gardener's control. There are so many life lessons in a garden, i.e. faith and patience, but this one stood out to me today. I have a strong foundation physically and spiritually. Some days I may falter and start to wither, but other days I'm well-watered and have an abundance to give. But it's a daily process to keep both aspects of life from complete ruin.

Given this is a blog and not a well organized essay, my thoughts come out a bit like a stream of consciousness exercise. That's where this becomes good therapy. And my garden is good therapy.