Wisdom and Wilting

To say that I miss full-out gardening the way I used to do it is like saying a 5 year old would miss Christmas if you took it away from him. I miss those early, misty mornings in the garden before the heat of the day when weeding was less of a chore, when I could spend time watching the progress - or lack of it - that my little green friends had made, when I communed with Mother Earth and my animal relations, the birds, insects, squirrels, and, yes, even the woodchuck that ate my sunflower plants. I miss picking that first tomato, or that first bunch of fresh basil. Yes, I have truly missed it all ... that is, until this week.

We have just come out of a three-day heat wave where the temperatures were in the 90's and the heat index reached 110! Looking out of my window from the safety of my air-conditioned apartment at the folks up and down the street trying to mow, weed and water without wilting themselves, I was content not to have to be out there with them. I was happy with my little tabletop fairy garden, my pots of basil and lavender, and my bamboo plant. As my mother always used to say: "Be careful what you wish for."

Life is what it is. It's no use to wail, " but that wasn't supposed to happen to me," because the reality is that it did and you're still here. When I was in my 40's, I couldn't conceive of not being able to get out and work in my garden, my sanctuary from the rest of the world. I had the idea that I would garden and live simply, and contentedly, for the rest of my life. Most of that has come true for me. I do live simply and contentedly, but my gardening is restricted to what I can grow indoors. So be it. It's either a curse or a blessing. Perspective is everything.

So while the rest of the neighborhood was weeding and whacking away under the brutal sun, I was inside slicing the yummy organic tomatoes I bought at the store, and picking a few leaves from my little pot of basil in front of the window. I am content, I am happy, and most of all, I'm not wilting!

And so it is.