Now that I have delt with the why of this challenge, I like to talk about how I’m going to succeed. For that to happen I need to put in the time and effort. In other words, I have to work. It wouldn’t hurt to be more thoughtful about goals and planning. Besides the love of words and writing, what do I hope to gain from this exercise? Having a daily practice gives me structure. It channels my energy into something useful and sometimes beautiful. My daily morning weeding has resulted in such. I hope my daily July writing will do the same.

This year I have been gardening since March. I started off first with starting seeds for the greenhouse. I had no written plans. They were all in my head based on the previous year’s experience. Perhaps if I had kept a written garden journal, I would have much more success. I did make a start, jotting down what seeds, dates of seeding and germination. But as the season got busier, it all got left by the wayside. The thing is, I started. I have some written records. I have not failed. I can pick it up again now that I’m writing about it. I can make notes of what is doing well and what is not. I can make notes of where the sweet spots are for certain veggies. The celery certainly are doing well in the raised beds. I’m having my first real success with the cabbages and broccoli by having them planted early, early in the spring.

It takes time to see the fruits of your labour. Having a vision of my goal gives me directions of where to go and how to get there. Patience is a great teacher. My garden and yard is a wonderful laboratory to experiment, learn and work in. There are no mistakes. Some things work better than others. It is always evolving like our lives. The page can be another growing space. Words and sentences are my garden tools here. But I have to put in the time and effort. I have to show up daily.