Isn’t it funny how a word or phrase will remind you of something that happened years ago. I was looking at hashtag holidays for this month and saw it is Arbor day this week. For those who don’t know Arbor day is a day to plant trees.
Growing up children in grade 3 in the public school system in Calgary were give a small tree to take home to plant. I remember doing this in our family home with my dad.
My parents moved from that home years ago, I wonder if the tree is still there or if the new owners cut it down.
Since I have moved out of the flat and into a house I am starting to appreciate an outdoor living room. The house I am in has a small patio where I have started to do gardening in plant pots.
Each week I buy a few more plants, and arrange them to create my own outdoor oasis. This week I bought plants that will give height. At the moment they are small but by the end of the summer they should be taller, and because they are in pots, if I have moved into my forever home I can take them with me.
Gardening gives back to us. I can sit and enjoy, meditate. This has given me mindfulness of the moment. I sit with a drink, a blanket on my lap (it is still cold here) and play music quietly.
The gardening itself helps me in so many different ways. It is exercise to garden, even when using plant pots sitting on tables. I check them every morning which means that I am taking time out from working. This is a feat considering what a work a holic I can be. I am learning patience. I have started to grow seeds, some take a few days to sprout but others take over a week before they erupt from the soil.
This is teaching me patience. Some of my plants are fruit and vegetables. I planted them in anticipation of eating later in the year. What a joy it will be to eat food that I grew myself.
I make tea using herbs I have grown, freshly cut before steeping them in hot water. Sitting in bed on a morning or evening I can enjoy relaxing with herbal tea.
All this is teaching me how gardens help with our wellbeing, and our weight loss much more than I had thought before.
How do you use your garden?