Gardening at Night

Shortly after I moved to Northgate from the U District, a friend and I were out taking a walk and found this lovely community garden tucked away in a neighborhood a block away from my apartment. The community garden is part of the City of Seattle Neighborhood P-Patch Program. I decided to get on the waiting list for a gardening plot back in September. I doubted I would get a plot any time soon but figured I had to at least try, considering how close the garden is to my house.

So I was thrilled when I was called a few weeks ago and told that there was a 100 square foot gardening plot available at the Pinehurst P-Patch. As a lifelong apartment dweller, having a little piece of ground that I could call my own was a thrilling prospect.

When I attended my new gardener orientation, I was led to 100 square feet of dirt covered in weeds. I couldn't have been happier. I waited with baited breath for it to stop raining so I could go pull weeds and prep for planting. The weather finally cooperated last weekend. I cancelled all of my casual Sunday plans to run out to buy dirt, pull weeds and work with the soil.

I spent five hours over the next two days pulling weeds and raking dirt all over my 100 square foot paradise. Rocking out to Blues on the radio, wearing my worn out flannel shirt that belonged to my mom, faded Levi's, muddy Converse and big purple 1970's sunglasses. Singing, laughing and talking to myself, I was the baddest babe in the garden. Shit, if I walked by and saw me, I'd talk to me.

But more important than just feeling physically in my element, I felt calm. My mind wandered to current goings on in my life, memories, songs stuck in my head. Wandered to my grandma and my gratitude towards all of the knowledge I have gained from her about gardening and pride in now being able to do something with that knowledge besides just hold onto it. Wandered to happy thoughts about people I love. Wandered to how fun it is to plant food for myself and the fuzzy children. Wandered to things I'm currently struggling with. Wandered back to the garden where my biggest challenge was finding these weeds that are obnoxious in their abundance but satisfying in the way that their little bulbs pop when you crush them. It felt good to just..... wander.

I spent a couple of hours in the garden today as well. It was a gorgeous spring day but, as Seattle spring goes, it promises to be an isolated sunny day, with rain predicted for the rest of the week. I cruised over to the nursery, excited to get new babies into the ground, especially right before a Full Moon. I had had a bit of a weird day; a lot of things didn't make sense today and I spent a good part of it feeling misunderstood and unheard.

Then I opened the garden gate. For the next ninety minutes, I soaked in the early evening sun, heard some beautiful bluegrass music on the radio and planted my new babies. I gave thanks as I planted white sage, good medicine that lives in the Eastern quadrant of the Medicine Wheel and represents healing and emotional health. My mind wandered to the events of the day. I processed them with unconditional love and without anger and at one point, was briefly moved to tears because the collision of hurt feelings and the song on the radio gave me permission to feel those feelings. Despite the overall discomfort and funk of the day, I walked out of that garden feeling incredibly grounded and happy. My problems of the day weren't problems, they were useless noise sucking up energy that should have been spent on more important and rewarding things. And just like that the choice was made to be happy. What a gift.

Hope

Healing

Growth