Time to Grow a New Harvest

Selfie shot while weeding in my own yard for the first time in a decade.

I didn’t mind the winter (it was pretty mild here in Utah this year), but after such a wild year of ups and downs and isolation, this spring sun literally feels like life is being poured back into me. I have made it a point to get outside every warm day so far, and I can feel myself coming back online on a cellular level.

What is especially wonderful is that for the first time in over a decade, I am not living in an urban apartment this spring. I’m living in a cute historic townhouse with a little yard. Which means there is the option of gardening. I’ve fantasized for years about being a gardener, but beyond a few windowsill succulents and a potted basil plant, I’ve not gotten very far.

Enter “Neighbor Ben.” I feel like I could write an entire blog post about Neighbor Ben, and maybe I will, but suffice it to say, our current next door neighbor and landlord, Ben, is the dreamiest neighbor of all time. He not only is a cool person and good human, he is the handiest fix it man I’ve ever met, and he loves doing house and yard projects. Last summer, as we moved in, he single handedly built a new deck, a new tool shed, and re-landscaped the entire yard, front and back, complete with a gorgeous, hand sanded brick pathway to the curb. He’s that kind of guy.

So when he asked me if I wanted to do a garden, I was overjoyed. He bought all the seeds, fertilized the soil, prepped it, and has been germinating seeds in the basement for weeks now. I cannot imagine a better situation for me to try gardening.

As we were chatting last week in front of the house, I noticed he was weeding the front dirt patch where he’s planning beautiful ground cover and flower bushes beneath the maple tree. I asked him if he’d like help and he said I was welcome to weed as much as I liked. I was delighted. Today it was warm enough to take a walk outside, and as I came back to the house, I sat down on the beautiful brick pathway and started weeding. It felt so good.

I know this is a super privileged situation and I am grateful for it. It is also so nourishing to be getting my hands dirty in the soil of the earth, at my own home, in the spring sun, knowing that I am helping specific plants to grow. It feels like a clear reflection of what I am working on in my own life right now. I’ve spent all winter weeding out the parts of my business and lifestyle that I don’t want to take with me into this next chapter, and now I’m planting new seeds. Yes they will take time to grow. Yes there will be some guesswork that may not turn out exactly how I envision. Yes it will take consistent, committed work for me to grow this next chapter of my life. But it feels good. And timely. And like I’m creating a harvest that I’m really excited about.

So there you have it, a classic springtime garden metaphor for life. This one is significant to me because it’s my life, and my home, and my business, and my spring. I hope your spring is bringing you new life in the ways you are seeking. New life is about as worthfull as it gets.


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