I am never quite sure where I come down on past lives but I think one of mine must have been as a hedge witch. I love, love, love gardening and I am crazy about herbs. I can spend hours outside amongst the plants.
Gardening may not be the sexiest or most glamorous pastime for most folks but I find myself more and more drawn to it every year. I always liked it but I was more inclined to keep this passion to myself when I was younger. When I was in my early 20s, life was about work then getting ready to go out and going out to clubs and bars; then starting it all over again. Part of me always yearned to be closer to nature. As much as I like music, I am much more comfortable at the beach, in a forest or a garden than in a club or bar. I think the right phrase actually is “at home.”
I have no wish to unravel all the mystery of why I feel this way. I think there is something very mystical about nature and how humans interact with it. It is something that needs to be felt more than studied. I will say this though; walking in nature or gardening always makes me feel better. Kasey Koe, from Healthy To the Core With Kasey Coe, shared a great post on Facebook the other day: “Gardening is cheaper than therapy… and you get tomatoes.”
It’s so true! Any of you wonderful readers who have been with me from the beginning of my blog, know that the last 11 weeks have been challenging for me since I fell. Recently, on top of dealing with the injuries from the fall, I broke out in hives from head to toe for 5 days in a row. Then two days after that finally subsided, I got a stomach virus… bringing my weight, that was already down after my jaw was wired shut, to 110 pounds. At 5’ 6”, that’s getting into weak and sickly-looking territory. Also, my treatment hit an annoying snag which made me temporarily lose sight of the light at the end of tunnel.
The first thing I wanted to do after the nausea passed was pot up my new herbs, tomato and strawberry plants. Like I said, I can’t explain it but something magical happens when I put my trowel into that beautiful soil and begin creating a new home for one of my plants in a real clay pot. I feel bonded to the little guys, as I gently pull them from their temporary plastic containers (so bad for the environment, the plants and humans,) loosen their little roots a bit and then place them in their permanent pot. I can’t really speak for anyone but myself but I believe the further we get from nature, often the worse we feel. Gardening is a wonderful touch point to instantly reconnect with Mama Earth. … And as mentioned in Kasey Coe’s post, you get tomatoes … and herbs… and strawberries… and (fill in what you like to have) too!
Say “hello” to my leafy friends!
What nurtures you? How do you like to reconnect with Nature? Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section or drop me a line. I would love to hear from you.
Love and Blessings to All,
Cynthia
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too true, I visited a beautiful garden yesterday ( it’s managed by our OPW or Office of Public Works ) and there was a walk under magnificent beech trees that made me feel like I was in a cathedral ……. uplifting and tingling …….
Beautiful description Barbara! Thank you for sharing. How wonderful that you have a public garden like that to visit!
Nice post. We just planted tomatoes, basil and strawberries on our terrace so I can relate. It was very satisfying and so good for my son to get his hands in the dirt and appreciate where food comes from.
I love hearing that Leslie! I think that we have become too separated from our food. It’s so important for kids to know where food came from before it got to the store. I believe that when kids grow their own food, they are more inclined to eat real, whole food! Thank you for sharing!
Glad to hear you sound so cheerful, a little spring weather will do that! Today my 3 yr. old grandson was visiting. We decided to pot the herbs I bought last week. What a great time we had, I was showing him how to rub a leaf to get the smell of the herb. He now knows what rosemary and basil smell like! He had a great time. A fun day. Hugs!
That does sound like a fun day! What a great way to introduce kids to herbs too through touch and smell. Hugs back at ya! 🙂