How Does the Garden Grow?

The Experience

Little tiny seeds, they are the beginning of so many wonderful things. Flowers, fruits and vegetables, trees and bushes . . . they add to our lives by providing nourishment for our bodies and beauty for our souls. Though my thumb is not very green, I have endeavored to grow a garden.

I started this adventure with a trip to the local hardware store. I selected tomato, lettuce and green bean seeds. I also bought a self-watering seed starter kit (this was worth every penny of the eight dollars it cost me). At home, I set up my self-watering kit and planted my seeds. The great thing about the self-watering container is that you put water in the bottom, then it draws the water up to the seed pots keeping them perfectly moist (great for those of us not very talented at keeping plants alive). I’ve always struggled with providing feast or famine when it comes to giving my plants water. Thankfully, with these seeds I didn’t have to worry about it. I just added some water to the base about every four days.

Watching the pots carefully each day, I waited to see signs of life. Sure enough one day my celebration began. Little green sprouts were pushing their way up through the soil. My seeds were growing!  They continued to thrive and do well.  A month or so later it was time to put them outside in to the ground. There they are today, continuing their growth, soon to become mature, vegetable producing plants.

The Thoughts

Sometimes in life we need to stretch out of our comfort zone and attempt to do things we know we are not so great at.  I’ve always wanted to grow a vegetable garden, but knowing my track record with keeping plants alive, I have always shied away from it. Not to mention my fear of slimy, crawly bug that can come in a garden . . . yuck! When the time is right, it’s important for us not to stay stuck in the usual. Deep down we know there is so much more in life to experience, such as a garden.

Think of it from the seeds perspective.  It’s placed down in the dark, moist soil.  It stays there only for a time, then with a little sunlight, air, and water it raises itself up.  At times don’t our lives seem a wee bit dark?  That is when we look for our sunlight, our air, and our water.  Maybe we can find that on our own, or maybe we need a little help with it (just as my seeds used a handy, dandy self-watering kit). Whatever it takes. Find the influences that will positively affect you and help you become all you were meant to be.

Growing my plants has opened my eyes to the miracles located in the produce section of my grocery store.  Now when I see the fruits and vegetables there ready to eat, I have a greater appreciation of the work farmers do for me. They don’t just instantly send produce to the stores. It’s a process, one that needs to be carefully tended to and one that doesn’t just happen overnight. Growing takes time for plants and for us. Thank you to all the farmers in the world! I’m so glad they have green thumbs!

I am eagerly watching my plants grow outside with anticipation of the tasty produce they will give me in the near future. Who would have ever thought I’d have a vegetable garden . . . not me.  It just makes me wonder, what else can I do in my life that I have doubted? Something to think about, huh!

The Questions

Are you ready to give it a try? Do you want to plant a garden? Maybe you want to just start off with one pot full of dirt and a few seeds? Or possibly, simply buying some type of plant already growing in a pot is what you feel like doing?

Where ever you are at with plants, I challenge you to bring them in to your life. If you’re not ready to care for one, at least look around you and purposefully notice the trees, flowers or plants that may be near you. Reflect upon how they add to your life. And yes, if you know a farmer, tell them thank you too!

Do you see what I see?

The Experience

I’ve often wondered what it would be like to pull up a chair in the evening and simply watch the sun go down. This would mean stopping everything at that moment just to be one with the sun.

In my mind I’ve believed this to be a wee bit of a fantasy lifestyle . . . relaxing on a soft pillowed chair, breathing in deeply, stilling my thoughts from the day, and noticing all of the intricacies of the sky. Normally at this time of day I am hurrying home from work, preparing dinner, reading the junk mail (forget the bills), and getting ready for the evening activities.

However things were different this week, I embraced this fantasy lifestyle, and lived in the moment. This week, I purposefully observed the sky at sunset

The Thoughts

I must admit I felt rather odd at the time sitting and watching the sun set from my back yard. Even my dog, Molly, seemed to wonder what I was doing. After all, usually when I’m in my back yard it’s to do some kind of task. Not this time though, I put a nice, soft, red, fabric pillow on my white wicker chair. I dragged it along the cement, to the far side of the yard, placing it in position to watch the sun go down. As I sat still waiting, I noticed I was taking in long, deep breaths and it felt incredibly relaxing. I listened to the sounds of evening in my neighborhood. Car doors closing as people arrived home from work, dishes clanging from kitchens nearby and did I mention the yummy smells that made their way to me. I wanted to ask my neighbors for their recipes (or if I could stop by for dinner), hmmm!

Then the beauty began. At first it was subtle, different colors began merging in the sky. There were shades of blue blended with orange, pinkish, reddish colors. The subtle colors evolved into deeper, more vibrant shades. I enjoyed the site of my leaf bare trees creating a silhouette in front of the picturesque sky. It was stunning. After some time, the colors began to fade and the night sky made its entrance and the sunset disappeared.

I have seen sunsets before, many of which I’ve paused for a few seconds to observe. This time it was different. The sky was given my full attention for an extended period of time. Kind of like sitting down to watch a movie (maybe next time I’ll bring a bowl of popcorn). My purpose was to immerse myself in the natural beauty of the sun setting.  It reminded me of how each day is a gift. Tomorrow morning the sun will come up again and go down again. What I do with my time in between is precious and valuable.

It’s a simple thing to do, watching a sunset.  I felt much more peaceful and relaxed.  After taking the time to break my routine and pause, I approached dinner making and the evening with a much brighter feel in my heart. It is definitely something I will be doing more of in my life.

The Question

What are your plans this evening? Maybe it’s time to catch a sunset? Give it your total focus and see how it touches your heart. Let me know how it goes and if you brought a bowl of popcorn.

Burdens . . . just the sound of the word can evoke a feeling of stress within me.  How about you?

More and more these days’ people express feelings of being too busy, too stressed, and yep, too burdened. Though we all experience burdens from a unique variety of circumstances, the feelings we carry are known by all.

The journey I am inviting you on, is to take time to experience and enjoy the simple pleasures of life. To break free of the routines we have created for ourselves and try new things, to see life from a different perspective. I believe that in doing so, the burdens we carry will be a wee bit lighter and happiness will spill over us. Would you like to join me?