When The Garden Becomes An Ogre

Some of you are not going to know what in the world I am talking about. Either you have smaller gardens, or you are young and full of vigor and energy, or your dreams have never outstripped your means. But some know the taskmaster that the vision of the perfect garden becomes for some of us. Or the garden that used to be, but is not within the easy reach of who we are and what we can do now.

I decided to just enjoy the past two days. I plucked a weed or two, I planted a couple things, I did some necessary watering, but I did not forge ahead full throttle as I had in the past week or so. And as I used to do the entire spring season. At those times, I just thought exhaustion was part of the territory. Now I give myself permission to have an imperfect garden… one that has the heavily edited joys of the small detail, or the sweet, but fleeting fragrance on the wind, … or happiness that a certain container is showing its colorful potential. Trusting that the others will soon likewise blossom, while leaving the yet unweeded parts of the garden for the steady pacing of reasoned effort, and such. Sometimes I have to ask myself, why all the driven obsession with work schedules that start early and end late? What, and who is it for? Or in my shorthand way of thinking: “Martha, Martha”.

“Martha, Martha” You are worried and distracted by so many things, so much to be done, and such hard work…. and where is the joy and the time to smell your well-pruned roses? To what end?

A garden is to be enjoyed, and loved, and when it is the effort of one person, primarily, it must be sized to that person, or allowed some leeway in the progress and the fastidiousness of grooming.

And so I have blogged little, and gardened less, and stared at the sky, and walked around barefoot, and generally took my good old time in my form of carpe diem. I have tamed my ogre of a garden into the true form of an ordinary mix of work and pleasure, a very human effort of a very human and imperfect gardener.

My best to you dear readers- may you enjoy the pleasure of your day and of your gardens.

mature gardener