Zen Gardening

A warm, gusty breeze blows my hair wildly varied directions. My bare feet feel the soft earth beneath them. Warm sun on my skin as I fall into the gentle rhythm of my annual labor of love. Yes, this is one of the best times of year for me, without a doubt.

The beginning of my annual foray into vegetable gardening. I do not claim to be very good at this; but I do enjoy it immensely! My husband has tilled a huge garden for me, far bigger than I can keep up with! He uses a gas-powered tiller; I use the classic rake, hoe and shovel. I do not have much success with power equipment. The simple process of trying to pull start these items usually frustrates me to the point of exasperation. Then try to wield one as it rattles and vibrates your body into oblivion and the noise! UGH! You can’t expect to clear your mind over the din of a tiller.

I am even worse at field work at the farm. I haven't even attempted to help at that since I was a teenager! If you cannot back and tractor and manure spreader into the shed, don't even attempt to run anything else. I stick to the cows at the farm; but at home, I can pretend I am keeping up with the progress in the fields...

Zen gardening seems to be my thing. Spending endless hours raking rocks off the garden; my hands are well blistered before the first seed is ever sown! And yet, I find this gratifying. I have learned to put newspaper between the rows to help keep the weeds down, as I do not have the time or energy to keep up with their continual assault on my tender young plants. My rows are crooked and unevenly spaced. I will plant until it is too late in the season to plant more and I still will not make it to the end of the vast space allotted to this yearly endeavor! There will inevitably be an ugly corner of this garden that is completely overrun by weeds. Unsightly, to be sure!

But it will be fun.

My children will assist in the weeding and seeding of this plot for about five minutes every time I am out there. I do not make them help me. My garden is my happy place. If you cannot work happily in this space, you should not work there! If I am not happy working there, I stop for that day. For me, it is not about completing the task the fastest or growing the biggest or most plentiful foods (though I will say it is incredibly rewarding when that happens!). It is about getting out there and enjoying the process. Being outside, moving and making something that will benefit everyone in my home.

By summer, when the kids are snacking on snow peas and I am enjoying endless varieties of spinach salad, I will be completely immersed in my Zen state. No need to drive to the grocery store, just walk barefoot to the garden and choose your perfect snack or meal. Yup! This is bliss!

Now, where in the heck did I put the seeds?