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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nThat brings me right back to lessons from the garden:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finding Balance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Balance is key to my health as well as the health of my\ngarden. Finding balance is part instinct and part effort. My senses tell me\nwhen I haven\u2019t had enough water to drink or enough sleep. If I\u2019m a careful\nobserver, I know when I need to say no to that one small obligation that will\nrob me of needed down time. I know when I need to seek something that stimulates\nmy mind or comforts me physically. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While it sounds like a simple planning issue, a schedule\ndoesn\u2019t work perfectly for keeping balance. Unexpected weather rolls in and\neverything changes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Yield to the Weather<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n And so the garden teaches me that I must yield to the weather.\nThink how much time we spend attempting to anticipate the weather. Newscasts\nfeature forecasts multiple times an hour. A phone app or website tells us what\u2019s\nhappening 10 days out. We discuss it with friends and look out the window and\nstill sometimes we\u2019re left in a house with no food and no power because a\ntropical storm turns out to be a Category 2 hurricane or a tornado roars\nthrough. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Obviously, not all sudden shifts are from the weather, but\nthe principle applies. With any sudden change that I can\u2019t control, my options\nare to be flexible and adapt to my new situation or be stuck with a plan that\nno longer fits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Patience<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n While my spring garden had a few weeds, my fall garden was overrun with them by the time I finished forming rows to plant. I weeded and within a day or two the weeds were back. Swift weed removal became my focus. Then I walked down the row of m\u00e2che and realized I couldn\u2019t tell the seedlings from the weeds. In order to protect the m\u00e2che, I had to let both grow for awhile. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m not much for waiting when I know a task is at hand, but the garden teaches patience. Sure enough, a couple of weeks later the wait paid off and there was no question which plants should be removed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Estimations Can be Wrong<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s hard to gauge the size of a harvest the first year. You can estimate. You can follow the guidance of experienced gardeners, but your particular garden plot will be unique. Greens may do well and carrots may not. Two of your rows may get more shade than you realized. Having a contingency plan when estimates don\u2019t pan out is always a good idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Small Wounds Can Yield Big Pain<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n My garden has ants. If you\u2019ve ever had an ant bite, you already know the kind of pain they can inflict. It seems wrong. They\u2019re so small. And their bites are so tiny. In fact, they\u2019re so small you may ignore a bite at first. But soon it itches. Then it hurts. A blister forms. By the next day, your whole finger or hand may be swollen. You can\u2019t think about anything besides the bite (especially if there are multiples). All the while, your brain is telling you this is silly. It\u2019s only a tiny ant bite. Get a grip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Like the physical response to an ant bite, an emotional response may seem disproportionate to a situation. When that response is yours, you may immediately understand that you\u2019re responding to much more than anyone else sees. This is just the straw or it triggered an emotional flashback of sorts. Other times, you may witness someone else experience a large pain that appears to come from a small wound. This can be disconcerting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Maintaining a connection and holding space for each other to work things out is a soothing compress. The swelling must subside before the pain is gone and that takes a minute. Thank goodness the garden already taught us patience!<\/p>\n\n\n\n For lunch I enjoyed a spinach salad fresh with lessons from the garden. Yum!<\/p>\n\n\n\n