A surprising and unexpected spike in temperatures occurred over the weekend. Having been imprisoned indoors for the past several months, I was biting at the bit to go outside and play in the dirt. My irresistible urge reminded me of the dog that I used to have. He could barely contain his excitement when he knew we were about to go for our walk. The moment that I began to put on my shoes, he was wide awake, tail wagging, and whining in anticipation. It got to the point where he could read my thoughts. I only had to think that I would get ready for our walk and somehow he knew and he would begin to follow me about the house.
I have learned from experience to take care of my regular duties before heading out to the garden, because the problem is that I do not know when to stop. Whenever I am gardening, it is the only thing that exists in my mind, at that moment. I am working, planning, enjoying, visualizing, and so engrossed in what I am doing that I forget to eat, forget to go to the bathroom, and mostly forget about everything outside of the garden. So I have learned to take care of what has to be taken care of before ever walking through the door, like making sure dishes are washed and dinner plans have been made, because once I walk back inside, I won’t have a drop of energy remaining. Although my back may be aching and my hands hurting, I am oblivious to their complaining until I have finally stopped. This is the reason that I have learned to practice self-restraint. While I could once work from morning until dusk, I no longer have that kind of stamina. I now have to set limits for myself. I have to listen to my body. I have to work smarter, not harder.
I took advantage of these past few warm days that we have had and began making a raised bed. Where once I would have pushed myself until it was done, I have learned to pace myself. I may have to practice these self imposed restrictions when it comes to the implementation of a garden, but my thoughts always turn to the garden, or at least to my houseplants, because that is what resonates with my heart. Gardening is where I connect with the joy that is inside of me and gardening allows me to experience a feeling of bliss. As I have tried to explain to others, I cannot NOT garden. Unlike my body, my thoughts do not require restraint as they journey from flower to flower, pollinating my ideas. My mind is as busy as a bee even when I cannot physically garden. The continual creativity going on in my mind is after all, where the garden begins.
