As my pre-Covid routine is disrupted, with all fitness and volunteer activities suspended, boredom sets in. Fortunately I have a new found hobby in gardening which uplifted many a moody moments flooded by media coverage of all the prevailing health and financial struggles.
I discovered so many hidden benefits of gardening which include:
Physical exercise and exposure to sunshine.Sweating buckets and drinking water is like spending time in a sauna to remove toxins. Digging soil with a changkul is actually more fun than lifting weights while aping muscled figures in a fitness video.
Mindfulness
What really amazes me is the mental well being gardening evokes. Hours pass quickly without my noticing. The focus is intense, figuring out for each plant the conditions that promotes growth. The mind has to suspend any prevailing negative thinking.
Creativity
So I ordered online more than $100 worth of pebbles, stones and garden soil and searched the web for inspiring garden decor ideas. It calls for creativity within limitations of a small garden space further hampered by strict orders from husband not to touch certain existing plants and "junk".
Different needs In recognising that different plants thrive in different types of soil with different amount of sunshine and water, it makes you reflect that it is the same with people. They flourish under the right environment and opportunities. Likewise potentials are stifled and characters wilt under adverse circumstances. In some ways gardening helps us gain empathy.
Every cloud has its silver lining
It seems to be that my plants take turns to bloom. I guess different plants thrive under various changing weather conditions. Occasionally too a bud pops up and blossoms into a flower rarely seen. It sends a message for us to be patient and to be hopeful. Sometimes they wilt and sometimes they bloom. Growth and renewal follows the fading and wilting. We learn to live with all of them.
Fulfillment & Acceptance
I have always dreamed of a beautiful luscious lawn underneath our mango tree adorned with patches of flowering plants. The hard truth is nothing ever grows well because the roots of the mango tree cannibalize most plants. Accepting that this condition can never or is hard to change, we lay pebbles and gravels to form little paths on these patches of infertile ground. We then decorate them with succulent and air plants which can take harsh conditions. Now I look at my garden with some sense of fulfillment. Isn't that what life is all about too? Accepting that certain dreams are destined not to be realised while looking for alternatives that may bring hidden joy. We just have to be honest with what is achievable and what is not.
Inter-Connectedness
My garden has attracted many birds, insects and worms. At times just looking intensely at the tree trunk or at a spot on the ground, I am amazed by the multitude of tiny creatures that exist here in my garden.
Two days ago when I do my usual garden inspection, a butterfly flew very close by. Then there were more. They made the place so sprightly and my spirits were lifted. Suddenly I wondered whether these lovely beings bear any spiritual elements of my deceased loved ones. Were they trying to connect with me?
They seem to remind me I am in a good place being part of this WHOLE.
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