Life lessons from the garden

This week, I was thumbing through some of my garden books when I was pulled into a story about the virtues of the gardener who tends to the cyclical unpredictability of the land, season after season.

Yes. A garden instills humility in us -- a deep respect of something greater than ourselves. We learn about the gift of nurturing, tending and caring for others – from the heart. 

The author went on to describe the gardener’s deep inner strength and their wisdom to not only grow a successful and healthy garden but to choose to live a life that is able to find joy in all things.

Life, like the garden, is very unpredictable—yet, we gardeners dig, prune, clean and repeat.  We welcome in the joy of the surprises created in the garden—not by us, but by something greater than us.  Hope and inner strength translate beyond the garden.

One of my favorite lines goes something like this:

I thought by being diligent and dedicated to my work, I was growing my garden, yet I learned that actually my garden was and still is growing me.

I am sure I am not the first person to discover that gardening is a wise window into the mystery of life. And, like many who have come to this conclusion in their higher-learning institute of gardening, we discover how to be joyful through all of the seasons of life.  

Plan, celebrate, reflect -- February is full of surprises!

Take a Tea Break

On a cold and chilly morning on a recent trip to China, we were preparing for an early morning hike. Our guide arrived to greet us, appearing through a curtain of mist, with a flask in one hand and a stack of small cups in the other. As we drank from the cups, it was almost magical how our senses were heightened by the harmony of the aroma and our dramatic natural surroundings. The warmth of the tea was as comforting as the camaraderie that came from sharing these moments of time. Once strangers, we were now good friends. The tea infused us all with energy for our trek.   

We began a conversation with our guides about the art of drinking tea. No, having a tea is not a quick drive through a Starbucks or a dash into a local coffee shop, the art of drinking tea is about taking the time to slow down while breathing in the aroma coming from the steeping tea leaves.  As we began to learn about the different types of teas --  their tastes and their regions -- we were intrigued and decided to take a class about tea.

The next day, we met May, who invited us into her world of tea.  She told us how she fell in love with it at a very young age.  She was from a small village where both her parents worked full days, 6-7 days a week.  Yet, once a week, her mother would always find time for the two of them to go to a local tea shop. They would spend hours talking and laughing as they sipped on their favorite teas accompanied with sweets from the local market. 

She knew from these early experiences, that she wanted to make it her mission to introduce the art of tea appreciation to everyone she could meet. 

As we slowly sipped on a variety of teas, we shared in many stories with much joyous laughter. We found ourselves lost in time…not rushing to grab something, text a note or pick up the phone for a two minute call. We stopped. Time stopped as we took in the moments and the layered aromas of the earth. We learned how to taste the flavors of these aromas, and as we sipped, we were walking through the humid forests, climbing to the tops of mountains and traversing golden plains with our eyes closed! "The essence of the tea will quench your adventurous spirit," she said. 

Our special May closed our class with a request. She asked that we remember her with our next cup of tea and that we continue her mission to invite others for tea.

As I write, I am sipping on a Snow Blossom tea (May’s favorite). And, I've invited a friend who will be here very soon. To May, we will raise our teacups! 

Sit and sip a cup of tea. Let it warm your soul. And let the sharing of tea invite conversation. It is truly a special gift of time, of peace and of comfort. 

Welcoming in the New Year

Welcoming in the somber peace of a chilly January morning refreshes one’s soul for the New Year. Sitting quietly with a cup of tea, a few of my favorite magazines by my side, is a chance to truly give myself permission to “just be”, now that the busyness of the holidays is behind us! 

To sit quietly with no noise, no movement and no electronic distractions is to enjoy the pureness of the moment, to hear my thoughts and reflect.  As I welcome in peace, I feel its warm blanket drape around me. I bask in the stillness, reflect upon the past, live in the present and welcome in the birth of a new season. 

Take time to just be. No noise. No scheduled activities. No deadlines. Steal some time for you to feel the quiet as it refreshes and refills one’s soul in preparation for the New Year.

Reflections: Preparing for a New Year

When the year winds down and you're crossing off the last few days on the calendar, where do you go to reflect? Do you reflect? 

I find that there are so many mixed emotions this time of year. Relief. Dread. Optimism. Excitement. Abundance. Calm. Anxious. Accomplishment. Disappointment.

A windfall of 365 days to fill is a gift. Each one of those days is a gift. 

It's very helpful to try to grasp the year ahead all at once and try to give it a shape, an intention. Yes, an intention.

It's so important to shed the skin of the previous year, whether it was bright or lackluster. 

Mark the transition and give yourself permission to reflect. Sometimes it helps to go to a familiar place at an unfamiliar time. For me, there's nothing quite as comforting for my soul as the beach in winter. It seems to encompass all of me: past, present and future. That expansive horizon line gives me perspective and hope. The beach is ever-shifting but it is always beautiful in its unpredictability. And every tussle in the clouds is followed by glorious, luminous light at sunset. 

Take time to make note of your transition into 2018. This way, you will be ready to embrace with gratitude the unchartered course of the next 365!

Look forward and make this your motto for 2018:

Lend a Helping Hand

Remember to be helpful this time of year. 

Helping is Healing, Empowering, Loving, Peaceful!

Three things to be thankful for

November is a magical month for me. The month opens a wonderful season of giving -- around the globe. Like the trees that give us magical colors this time of year, we come out of our "me" cocoons, spread our wings and share. We look out rather than look in. 

We think about others. We are helpful. We extend a hand. 

Here's my best advice for November. 

Name three things to be thankful for. 

Do this right now. Do this every day for the month of November. 

Don’t make it complicated. Take in the essence of what is surrounding you. 

The power of this exercise will stay with you long after November has passed. 

Welcome in the New Beginnings of the Harvest Season

Just when I thought the summer season of gardening was over, we were given an extra blast of record breaking heat! What a reminder for us all, that just when you think you are finished, you never really are. There is always something to do.

At the end of each summer season, I often share with my gardener and family, "We made it, we survived another summer of combating some of the mother nature’s challenges!"  Every summer, I'm thrilled by the joys of greater sunlight and longer days but they go hand-in-hand with a lot of extra time in the garden, just to stay ahead.  There's a lesson in there somewhere: Summer gardening is like getting through another season of life. 

Plenty of times in my life, work has felt endless, but the garden reminds me to stop and count my blessings. How much true joy has this garden brought me over the years? It's immeasurable -- just like the joy reflecting on cherished memories spent with family and friends throughout the years.

The summer season opens up a perspective in one’s heart to be able to withstand new challenges. Are we willing to work in the garden day-to-day with an open heart or does it become a drudgery? Are we so busy keeping our heads down, focusing on the weeds of life, or are we taking a moment to smell the many gracious fragrances?  

At times, life-- like garden work --may feel a bit too much, yet, when are faced with a challenge, I've learned that a little extra work with a loving heart will strengthen us to grow. Enjoy each glorious season of endearment that can rekindle the soul and spirit!

This month, let go of any doubts or confusion and welcome in the harvest.  There is much to nurture. The joy and loving relationships with family and friends prepare our landscape of life for the next season.