Gardening can awaken our inner artist because it offers a new medium for creation and self-expression. In addition to using the vegetables, fruit and edible flowers we grow to prepare enticing and nutritious meals, the colorful flowers in our gardens can be placed around the house and serve as a beautiful reminder that life continues on despite the current challenges.
Creating a garden plan can be as simple as using online resources (of which there are many), asking the local nursery for help or getting ideas from a friend. Of course, it’s also fun to plant intuitively without an official plan and watch our creation bloom in its own way.
Tuning in to our inner artist encourages us to to cultivate our child’s mind and focus on the joyful fun of digging in the earth. As we plant our young plants in the freshly prepared soil our senses come to life as we smell the rich aromatic soil. Following the recommendations for ‘physical distancing’ is required with plants too - they need a healthy space to grow and spread out.
Daily tender loving care: watering, weeding and removing pests can be a fun and artistic daily 'chore' that keeps us aware of, and involved in, the evolution of our creation - the garden. Trusting the process, watching the plants grow and seeing the flowers turn into vegetables is a soulful journey, a vision for the eyes and feast for the gastronomic palate.
Gardening, as with all the arts, can be a wonderful and fruitful endeavor during this time. It adds to our self-growth journey and provides opportunities to practice patience, humility, forgiveness and appreciation. If we choose, it can become a lifetime pursuit that fosters a deep connection to the earth, sharing food with friends and family and potentially provide pleasure and joy for a lifetime.