Gardening in the Nude and Other Brilliant Ideas

Episode #81

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~To plant a garden is to dream of tomorrow. Audrey Hepburn

Photo by Mike Enerio on Unsplash

I wanted some earth shattering revelation, some fireworks, some brilliant kindness to write to you about this week. You’d want that, right? Brilliance? Or at least average? (Don’t let great get in the way of good). I wrung my hands. I thought and thought.

But nothing came to me.

Maybe some of you can relate to that writer’s block, that feeling of nothingness, that panic and stress and then maybe… just giving up. I was inches away from giving up. I had it….that writer’s block flu…with no cure in sight….

Victor Hugo

I thought of resorting to Victor Hugo’s strategy back in 1830 Paris. He locked himself in his room with a giant bottle of ink and a full length knitted shawl… but no clothes. He gave his servants the key to his wardrobe with strict instructions not to open it until he had finished his manuscript.🗝

Victor Hugo, circa 1884, colorized by Jesinci, courtesy Pinterest

It worked. He finished ‘The Hunchback of Notre-Dame’ two weeks before his publisher’s deadline. Of course, it was January, 1831 so he must have been pretty chilly with just that shawl.

A Hunka Hunka Funk

I don’t have any servants, so I would have had to give the key to my husband. After careful consideration, I decided against that plan. You get my drift.

I was, however, in a kindness funk, “a hunka hunka funk,” Elvis would have said….well maybe that’s not quite right, but close enough.

With all the funk-ness, (not funk-i-ness, which is when you wear weird clothes and somehow still manage to look cute), I was worried about becoming a negativity machine. Sometimes negative thinking sneaks up on you, like a snake. You do realize that sneak is an anagram for snake…something to ponder. You can see where my mind was going…🐍

There was nothing left to do. No miraculous bolt of lightening.⚡ No Aha moment.💡

So I put on my rubber chicken garden shoes and went out to whine to my garden friends.

Rubber Chicken Garden Shoes

I lamented to my hummingbirds and my flowers.  I cried to my weeds….although that could have been because some of them have thorns (I wish those would take a permanent vacation).

I deadheaded the white hibiscus…Actually, I’m trying not to use that term…deadheading….I don’t want to scare the other buds who then decide not to bloom since they know they just last one day before getting axed...I am now telling them they are going over the rainbow flower bridge…🌈

Buzzy Wuzzy Bees

Photo by Eduardo Goody on Unsplash

I chatted with the bees….actually they talked to me constantly….buzzy wuzzy….especially the bumble bees, who can be quite friendly.

Of course, I did grab one by mistake one day….the one day I decided to send my withered lily blooms over the rainbow flower bridge without wearing gloves and I didn’t see that sweet buzzy wuzzy until I mistakenly grabbed him.

From inside my closed fist he tried to let me know by buzzing loudly, but I didn’t realize where the sound was coming from….so he soon gave up buzzing and let me know in sharper tones….or a sharp stinger, I should say. Ouch. Sorry little guy.  I opened my hand and he flew off.  “No hurt feelings, lady,” he buzzed.  Nope. Just a hurt finger. My bad. 

The Brilliance of It All

After about 20 minutes of telling my troubles to my garden friends and pulling a few weeds, something happened. Something brilliant.

My mind relaxed. My stress disappeared. My negative thinking was gone… although I still kept an eye out for Mr. Sneaky Snake.🐍 They are ‘no bueno’ and like to hang out in Arizona.

Feeling buoyed, I came back inside and looked up the scientific benefits of gardening. There are many.

Gardening alters your brain chemistry, not in a psychedelic drug sort of way. No. Those little neurons just go firing around creating serotonin and dopamine. They boost your immune system and help you break the cycle of negative thinking.

Gardening can lower blood pressure, decrease heart rate, and change your cortisol levels. Maybe that’s why I always feel so good….ok, a little dirty…but happy…after gardening.

Gardening can increase your endurance, strength, mobility, and flexibility.

Gardening can improve your focus, concentration, and mood, making you feel more peaceful and content. It can build self esteem, reduce stress, and improve hand strength.

Gardening is a great form of exercise, comparable to walking. I like to call my time in the garden, Garden Yoga. For every hour I spend in my garden I burn more than 300 calories.

Gardening Boosts Creativity

Photo by Lian Tomtit on Unsplash

Later in the day, my husband and I went for a walk along 2 holes of the golf course. We found 3 balls, identified both yellow and red Mexican Hats, saw a young coyote, who hung around watching us, said good morning to another walker with her dog.

We used our hiking poles to scare away (hopefully) any sneaky snakes 🐍 as we made our way from our house to the golf cart path.

That was a message to take the heavy metal rake out later and clear out the brush from our path….tumbleweed.  I pretended to be in a old western with tumbleweed rolling past me as I sang The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly.

Whatever thoughts came to me, I just let them have their way with me.

My garden is plants and flowers, not vegetables. But I have friends who grow veggies and they share them….ripples of garden kindness.  I share my garden seeds and clippings. It’s a fair exchange.

Stop Trying, Start Gardening

I realized that I didn’t need to search and search for something amazing to write about kindness.  I just needed to go out into my garden. And I didn’t even have to do it in the nude. (Sorry, Victor)

The minute I stopped trying so hard and just took a walk in the garden, thoughts and ideas took over. Bees were buzzing, hummers were chattering, and the flowers were whispering words that started flowing…perhaps a little silly…but who cares. I went from being frustrated, stressed, and frozen to happy, relaxed, and open to anything thanks to my garden. Plus there are a few less weeds…

Am I going down the garden rabbit hole? I think I see a light shining up from down there…and it looks Brilliant! I think I’ll go down and take a look around.  Want to join me? Let’s go have a look see.

Comments!

1. Do you have a garden? Do you cry with your weeds?

2. What do you tell your flowers when you chop of their dead heads?

3. Want to just say ‘hi’?

4. Got bees?

5. How do you feel about rabbit holes?

May your week be filled with kindness. 💚

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