Enjoy the Little Things

One of my favorite movies is Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and I’ve always been one to literally stop and smell the roses. I don’t know if it’s a global phenomenon, but in the U.S, we’ve become consumed by the “ work hard and play hard” motto. The problem is that for many people work is so demanding that increasingly we only get one day off per week to “play hard”. We are burnt out. I read about “forest bathing therapy” recently. It originated in Japan in the 1980’s. It basically boils down to taking time to be in nature to relieve your stress and allow your body to release positive hormones. I’m all for it, although it seems pretty obvious to me. 

Gardeners know about nature therapy; that is a big part of gardening after all. Unless, you’re the type of gardener that has to have everything perfect. You know who you are. Every weed has to come out immediately and you’re deadheading all the time. You stress over your garden. Stop it. 

Everyone needs woods or a wild garden where nature takes over, and if something falls it was meant to, and some wildflower or other living creature will make its home there. That is the Native American philosophy and great for your mental health. In the back right corner of my yard we have a couple of trees and a dead tree where the weeds grow and we toss our sticks. This is where I throw our pumpkins and see little creatures scurry in and out. When I stress over pulling weeds, I look over there and the rest of my garden suddenly looks fantastic. 

It may be trite, but it’s true that we get caught up in trying to accomplish something so that we don’t notice the little things that make life magical. This post has meandered a bit from my original intent, which is that I wanted to  share little things in my garden that give me pleasure. I’ve never been a fan of garden gnomes, but I have a small gargoyle that hides under the Forsythia bush. A touch of whimsy, a sign points the way to The Prancing Pony (from Lord of the Rings),  making me smile each time I notice it. And my Green Man inspired me to write a poem. These objects, and more, bring magic into my life. My garden is very humble. For an outstandingly beautiful and whimsical garden, check out Garden Cat Gardens on Facebook. 

Finally, a quote that I saw on another great page on Facebook,  The Heirloom Gardener. The author of the quote is Edward Abbey, an environmentalist whose work I’ve not yet read but whose sentiment here I want to live by.

“One final paragraph of advice: do not burn yourselves out. Be as I am - a reluctant enthusiast….a part-time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it’s still here. So get out there and hunt and fish and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, climb the mountains, bag the peaks, run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, the lovely, mysterious, and awesome space.”