No matter the kind of day, I like to start it with a visit to the greenhouse and a walk around the garden and yard. It’s gets me off on the right foot. And if I trip and fall during the day, it softens the landing. I’ve been stumbling and tripping more lately. This is a difficult leg of the journey of life. I’m trying to prepare, strengthen and wise up a bit.

The garden is a good place to start according to this article from the Saskatchewan Blue Cross. I heartedly agree. The garden is never a sure thing. There are so many variables – the weather, pests, diseases and other things. They all try a gardener’s patience. You learn to roll with it all, learning acceptance and that you do not call all the shots. When something works and I have more salad greens than you can eat, I get such a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. The garden is my place to go to when I want to quiet my busy, buzzing mind. When I weed the garden beds, I’m also weeding my mind. It’s peaceful restoring order within and without.

I don’t feel guilty when I don’t go to my exercise class because I’m mucking in the soil. I’m moving all my body parts. I’m restoring my equilibrium. Sometimes it is good to be with just myself in the garden. There’s always a host of feathered friends close by.