by Leslie Cox; Thursday, August 16, 2012
Life begins the day you start a garden. ~ Chinese Proverb
How true for us.
Oh, we have gardened off and on since we were kids, depending on where we were and our particular situations throughout the years between then and now. But in turning to our garden after both losing our jobs on the shutdown of the Gold River pulp mill, Life really did begin for us as we embarked on the garden make-over.
Getting down to ground level in a garden literally grounds you. Life begins in the soil with the sprouting of seeds and Life ends with the decomposition of plant material returning nutrients back into the soil from which it came…in readiness for the birthing of a new seedling.
Somehow, through transforming the garden from the little bit that it was back in 1999 to what it has become today, we have come to grips with the fear we initially felt towards the great unknown we were facing in our future. Plants face adversities constantly and always point their blossoms to the sun. Such inspiration. So…from the beginning of this new Life journey for us, we have tried to do the same.
Is Life unfair? You bet. There are no guarantees. It is up to each and every one of us to make as much of what we can with what we have. Once upon a time, we shared dreams of traveling to exotic places but those plans had to be put on hold when they shut the gates into the mill permanently. Over a decade later, they are still on hold but surprise, surprise…we are surviving on this new Life journey of ours.
You know the saying: “If Mohammad won’t go to the mountain, bring the mountain to Mohammad.” We have not been able to get to Tuscany, but in the words of a good friend, “we have created a little bit of Tuscany here.”
Arguably, gardening is not for everyone who may find themselves in a similar position. But what does work is following your heart. Take what you love to do and run with it. You may not get rich but you will bask in a tremendous quality of Life that is worth every penny spent in achieving it.
