“The best gardens are a perfect balance of order and chaos. The tension created by the threatened balance is the pulse of the garden itself.” ~Helen Humphreys
Yesterday everything aligned so that I could eat my breakfast out on the back deck; the last word had been put in my book, there was nothing on the calendar, the rains had stopped, the sun was shining, and the temperature was perfect.
Sipping my morning coffee, I viewed my wild jungle of a garden that has continued to grow in spite of my busyness and neglect. Still there were pockets of beauty. I apologetically took a video as I walked through my overgrown garden and then shared it with friends. Not one of them saw a mess. Where I could only see weeds, they saw flowers. And many of the weeds had flowered themselves and were full of hungry bees and butterflies as they danced among the blossoms.
I began to see that there is a natural force in flowers and plants that will seek growth and new life wherever they are planted and in all conditions. Even with less care, and perhaps because of my dwindled care, they grew. And not only grew but thrived. Like a helicopter parent that constantly hovers over their children, planning, constructing, manipulating, we can be over zealous in our efforts to be good parents and gardeners. The flowers themselves know what they need and seek it. Do some weeding, clear the paths, provide the elements they need to grow; some water, sun, but don’t overdo it. Plants have a natural inherent knowledge within them and they will find a way. I pull out the “bullies,” those weeds that seek to dominate but leave some behind for even in them there is a natural grace and beauty.
Thank you garden, for continuing to grow, for continuing to teach me lessons.
A Sit Spot — “A sit spot is simply a favourite place in nature (or looking out a window at nature) that is visited regularly to cultivate awareness, expand senses and study patterns of local plants, birds, trees, and animals. The practice supports mindfulness, builds routine and increases focus.” (www.wildsight.ca)
My friend/dancer Colleen Frances, introduced me to this phrase. She took a beautiful picture of me on a beach in Costa Rica before our morning dance class began, when I was just sitting alone, prayerfully, gratefully enjoying the morning sunrise. She told me that if we do this, pick a spot each day, the same spot, perhaps the same time, and then just open our senses to what is happening around us, the birds and the animals begin to expect us and things begin to happen. Things we would never have noticed if we hadn’t sat silently and expectantly are wondrously noticed by us.
We Are Wildness (www.wearewildness.com) says the five qualities of a perfect Sit Spot are “it is close, it has nature, it is solitary, it is safe, your attitude.” Any spot can be a perfect Sit Spot, even if it doesn’t appear that way at first.
Once we’ve chosen our spot, Colleen used the phrase RAW — Relaxed body, Alert mind, Waiting spirit, to describe the mental conditions we use when we sit at our ‘Sit Spot.’
My photographer friends often use this means of getting that perfect and unique photo. Stu McCannell, a skilled wildlife photographer, told us that the birds and insects and other animal life around us have habitual patterns that we can use to get that perfect shot. The Kingfisher returns to the same perch overhanging the river or the dragonfly has a favourite blade of grass or leaf to return to. In my garden, I know when to expect the robin for its nightly bath in my small pool.
My artist friend Suzanne Dyke, loves to sit in ‘plein aire’ and paint what she sees in front of her. Sections of my books have been written after sitting, contemplating nature and my own thoughts.
Choose a Sit Spot. Visit it every day. First, just sit, in quiet and alertness, watching and listening. You may be inspired to paint that picture, write that journal entry, take that photo, or it may just relax you and fill you with wonder at our beautiful natural world we have around us. “Stop and smell the roses” as they say. You’ll be better for it.
During this pandemic and the stay-at-home orders, I have started gardening in earnest. My daughter Brittany came to live with me last summer and together we transformed a back weed lot into a beautiful garden of flowers, flagstones, and a fountain. We learned a lot about seeds and plants, soil and watering (I’m still learning) and the practice of horticulture. Many small creatures; bees, insects, spiders, birds, groundhogs, squirrels, chipmunks, skunks, and rabbits have all visited our little haven and together, they have taught us many lessons about living in harmony with nature.
I have come to a realization that there is a whole group of gardeners who live by the philosophy of trying to live in an ecological balance with nature in their gardens. Natural means of diverting animals are used, such as planting marigolds or using raised beds and chicken wire fences. Insect pests are washed away with soap and water or hand-picking instead of chemical means. Growing plants that are native to the environment and planting seedlings that are non-invasive is encouraged. Rather than trapping or killing animals, there are those that choose to use other means such as a scarecrow or simply planting enough so that both the animals and humans share in the garden’s bounty. I have come to see the wisdom of planting an abundance of seeds rather than a few, knowing that many of them will be lost to natural means.
The whole experience has brought to mind a little folk song I used to sing with my little grade 1’s when I was a teacher.
“Four seeds in a hole, Four seeds in a hole, One for the mouse, One for the crow, One to rot, And one to grow.”
Know that the essence of the natural world is abundance. One yellow dandelion head will yield over a hundred seeds, a female frog will lay over a thousand eggs, one pine tree can grow into a forest. Accept, too, that life gives and life takes away. Not all that you plant will yield a crop. Other creatures may eat it as a food source so that they may have life. Some seeds will not germinate and will rot in the hole.
We humans are a part of nature. There can be enough for all if we learn to cultivate and share what nature gives us freely. Gardening offers us an opportunity to connect with nature and find our balance with all living things. What we do to the land will ultimately affect our lives in the long run. Let us learn to live in harmony and ecological balance so that all life may thrive. Gardening can teach us that.
I have been involved in recycling programs through Green Teams at my schools where I taught as an elementary school teacher for decades. Our school won awards and commendation for our work in recycling and waste reduction. It’s important to me. Recycling and waste reduction is a passion and a lifestyle.
Over thirty years, I have watched the progress of recycling programs, moving from small collections of specified waste to larger, more diverse collections, as municipalities and regions got on board with being ‘green.’ I have also noticed the regression of recycling programs as municipalities have tried to deal with massive amounts of recycled items, including plastics. It’s coming to an impasse where the amounts just aren’t financially feasible anymore for recycling plants to find markets for their recycled resources. More and more, supposedly recycled materials are going into landfill sites as many users recycle poorly and recycling plants have to deal with sorting improper disposal of mixed materials in blue and green bins. Plastic has become the biggest polluter as we watch our oceans and landfill sites fill up with these products that take hundreds of years to break down. Social media has flooded us with pictures of miles of floating plastic seas in our oceans and dead and dying whales, birds and other aquatic animals that have been affected by plastics in their habitats.
We need to remember that REDUCE has always been the first of the 3 R’s – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. We need to reduce the amount of plastic we use. We also need to come up with packaging and merchandise that uses materials that can break down in a reasonable amount of time.
We need some new R’s in our lives.
REGULATE – Don’t allow manufacturers to use and sell merchandise that is wrapped in heavy amounts of plastic. Create laws that prohibit it, the same way we have created laws for greenhouse emissions and hazardous waste disposal, all done in the name of safety for us and longevity for a healthy planet. As a consumer, I will still buy your product. I just need tomatoes. I don’t need the heavy plastic bin that they come in. I just need batteries. I don’t need the heavy plastic packaging that surrounds them.
RECOVERY – Manufacturers and industries can take back their waste from their products that they sell to us and make new products from the waste. One of the biggest companies that I know that do this is The Beer Store, Ontario. They sell their bottles and cans full of beer to us by including a refundable deposit on each container. When we return the empties, we get that money back. They also take back the cardboard from their boxes and packaging. You can read about the whole process on this link. https://torontoist.com/2013/04/what-happens-to-beer-bottles-when-you-return-them-to-the-beer-store/. The Beer Store maximizes the value of their waste.
REFUSE – As a consumer, find more ways to reduce your own personal level of waste. Buy second-hand clothing, use cloth bags, refill your water bottle and coffee cup. Try to buy products that are wrapped in smaller amounts of packaging or buy products that use packaging that breaks down more readily. Let’s lower our waste levels and buy merchandise and products that have the least negative effect on our Earth.
REPURPOSE – Be creative in finding ways to reuse or transform the regular use of objects in our life into new ways. A friend from Trinidad told me tin and/or aluminum cans are used to make lanterns, art or other uses. They are rarely thrown out. I have seen outdoor furniture made from recycled plastics.
RESEARCH – Put money and time and study into ways to lower our impact on our planet. We have to find new ways of dealing with our waste.
REFLECT – Teach our children to value their natural world. Keep circulating information that puts the betterment of our planet at the forefront. Think about your own personal way you relate to the planet and all that is in it. Greed leads to consumerism and high levels of waste as we buy more and more and more.
Be RESPONSIBLE for your impact on the planet. Let your thoughts and concerns be shown through action. Do something to help. Do something to reduce your own footprint on the Earth.
RESPECT our planet. Let’s RESCUE and REVIVE our beautiful blue ball and RESTORE it to its natural state of wonder.
