WHY I GARDEN
By Virgil Adams
It took me 80 years to discover why I am a successful, happy gardener. I concentrated too long on what to plant, when to plant, where to plan, and how to plant. Those are the easy questions. The answers are as close as books, magazines, neighbors, and the local representative (county agent) of your state�s agricultural college.
But why garden? That�s the starting point, the bottom line, the nagging question. You don�t find that answer in any book. The reason why is buried deep within the soul. It is spiritual, and more than anything else distinguishes a real gardener � or a real anything � from somebody who just plays around.
So the first step is figuring out why you were downloaded in the first place. You must have been put here for a reason � perhaps several reasons. If one of those reasons for being here is to become a happy, successful gardener � and you know that � you are on your way to becoming a successful, happy gardener.
Then, Step Two is to come up with (develop) the want-to to fulfill the purpose for which you are here. And so Step Three is a no-brainer. You know why. You want to. The how-to will come.
We are talking gardening here, but the philosophy applies to everything and everybody: butcher, baker, candlestick maker, banker, lawyer, merchant, teacher, preacher, leader, follower � everybody.
Gardening has nothing to do with formal education, race, national origin, age, size, or how long one has been doing it. A real gardener can be male or female, young or old, large or small, beginner or expert, doctor of philosophy or the village idiot. It shouldn�t take 80 years to discover that he or she is one, but I can�t help it if I�m a little slow.
So why do I garden? Because I discovered that�s why I�m here. Because I want to. Because I learned to. But let me be more specific.
I love my garden because it�s one of the few things I don�t have to make appointments with. I don�t punch a time clock at the garden gate. There is a margin of convenience. Doing the work a little early or a little late makes only a little difference. I don�t have to bat a thousand out there in my back yard � or even try. After all, it is MY back yard, and MY back yard is a place where everything does not have to be all right. Right?
I garden to have something to do very early in the morning. You sleepyheads and late risers don�t understand that, but if you were awake by 5 or 5:30 every morning, you would.
I like to go out there amongst the beans, peas, corn, eggplants, broccoli, tomatoes, peppers, and stuff (yes, I�m a vegetable gardener), listen to the birds�s wake-up calls, leisurely sip my second cup of coffee, and go over my day.
For a little while I lose track of all time. I stand still and silent and watch the rising sun catch rays of soft light and shadows through the tall corn stalks. Some folks call this meditating. I don�t call it anything. I just communicate with nature, and nature communicates with me. My day always seems to go better when I begin it this way.
I garden to watch a tiny ant smaller than a quarter of an inch long drag a relatively huge, 3-inch dragonfly across the earth and marvel at the ant�s strength. And am reminded of my own weakness.
I garden to watch the honeybees pollinating around the big yellow squash blossoms and marvel at their energy. And wonder how productive I could be if I were a tenth as industrious.
I garden for the chipmunk that peeks over the rock wall every morning, the covey of quail that comes visiting every afternoon, the squirrels that help themselves to the corn, and the rabbits that eat about as much lettuce as I do.
The thought occurs to me that nothing is out there in the garden by chance. And none of us is where we are by chance. It is good to know that we are where we are supposed to be, doing the things we are supposed to do to fulfill our purpose for being here. I like being in the garden. It is somewhat of a continuing education out there. As I work with nature and learn to grow beautiful plants, I may also grow a little, too � if I pay attention.
I have found gardening to be a healer of wounds and a renewal of faith, and that is one of the reasons I garden. And gardening has kept me and a lot of my friends out of jail � so far. That�s another reason.
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