Oh man, is it ever hard to relax these
days. Even in the garden, right? Society places so much pressure on
us to be perfect in every way. Yesterday, I took a deep breath and
said, “Jaipi, what the heck are you doing to yourself? You're
micromanaging yourself at every turn!” That's just not healthy. Of
course, society also tells us we should relax, doesn't it? But no!
Because they do it in entirely the wrong way.
Now, I'm going to take you back to my
father's garden. He's long gone now, but his ways taught me a lot. He
worked hard in that garden, you guys. But he didn't do it because he
had to. He did it because he wanted to. He didn't do it for the
status quot or the accolades or to show how thrifty he was or any of
that rot that our wonderful mass media pounds into your head these
days. He did it because he enjoyed it. Yup. You guessed it. My Dad
had a gradual garden too.
He didn't worry about what everyone
else said he should do with his garden. He took his time and did
things the way he wanted. Sometimes he read about how other gardeners
did things. But he didn't always do those things. He took that info
and adapted it to his slower paced, enjoyable life. Because what's
the point in living if you can't enjoy yourself and do it your way
and at your own pace?
I think my Dad would have loved my
kitty litter bucket garden, you guys. Just saying.
I write a lot of gardening articles. In
fact, I have over 6000 articles sitting in my queue right now. I'd
say that about a third of those are gardening articles or they refer
to gardening in some way. I'm happy to say that those articles are
there because I wanted to write them, not because I wanted to be a
self made millionaire or some other such nonsense. My garden is there
because I wanted to garden and still do. It's not there because
gardening is the right thing to do, although it is the right thing
for me. It's there for me to enjoy because I do enjoy it.
Anyway, here is my point. Please don't
garden just because you have been herded into thinking it's the right
thing to do. Please don't do anything because mass
media/society/government or even your neighbor or a local master
gardener told you it's the right thing to do or the right way to do
it. Do it because you love it. Do it because it suits you. Do it
because it's how you want to spend your life. And do it YOUR way!
Enjoy your life! You only get one, you
know? Stop buying into all those silly little ideas people have about
how you should do everything this way or that way, your sheets have
to match and by the way, here's how you fold those fitted ones, etc.
You know how I fold my fitted sheets? I
don't. I stuff them in the closet and go play in my garden or write
an article or a blog post or play cards with the grand-kids or paint
or take pictures because that's what I love doing and how I want to
spend my time.
And sure, it would be nice if everyone
grew their own food. But don't let them fool you. Don't let them tell
you that everyone back in the day grew their own food, either. Most
did, I guess. But guess what? Not everyone did. That's how gardeners
survived. Because even back in the day when things were simple, there
were people who didn't have the green thumb or the time to garden.
Where do you think they got their veggies? Yup. They bought them from
people who loved to garden and were good at it.
Having a garden may not be for
everyone. Not everyone enjoys toiling away in the hot sun with sweat
dripping into their eyeballs. Just us crazy people. LOL And there's
no shame in admitting that gardening is not for you because, guess
what? There is something out there that is. Find that something. We
need all kinds of people to keep balance in the world.
You're not a loser because you can't
garden or write or draw or be a doctor/lawyer/Indian chief or
whatever it is that someone has told you that you should shoot for.
But you are a loser if you're not doing
what makes you happy in life just because you're following someone
elses idea of what you should be doing.
And by the way, it's also OK to suck at
what you love doing but keep doing it anyway because it makes you
happy. Perfection is not what it's cracked up to be. Your idea of
success should not be defined by someone else. It should be defined
by you.
You guys, I'm a pretty good gardener.
I'm not a great gardener. I'm not a master gardener by any means. I'm
also a pretty good writer. I have have no best sellers and that's
perfectly OK with me. I'm not a great painter, either. I break all
the rules. I use whatever paint, tools and brushes I want to. I'm
not an award winning photographer, either. But I take some nice
pictures, I write some cool stuff, I grow some tasty veggies, I paint
some colorful art and I have fun doing it.
I love my life!
My goal is not to impress anyone or
line my walls with trophies. And guess what? Despite that, I am
successful anyway. I wake up every morning with a smile on my face
and hope for the future. Because my idea of success is to live my
life in my own way, in my own time and to feel good about who I am
and what I stand for. Who gives a crap what anyone else thinks about
anything I do? Who cares if I am never famous or popular or whatever.
I feel good about my journey toward being who I want to become. I
spend time doing the things I love every single day.
In other words, the gradual garden
isn't just something I do in my backyard. It's the story of my life.
It's the way I do everything. Because life really is about living,
not conforming to someone elses idea of how you should live. Jaipi
say relax. Breathe! Take life on your own terms in your own way. And
if your way is the same as “their” way, that's OK too. Just try
not to lose yourself in the mad shuffle of drones. It's not worth the
payoff.
Grow your own gradual life garden. The
harvest will be spectacular!
