I was thinking yesterday morning, where has this week gone? I could hardly keep track of the days.
Today was the first time in quite a few days I was about to spend some time in the garden. It's been so hot and raining every day I haven't wanted to be outside. But this morning I decided early that before my day started, I would try and weed one of my small garden beds this year.
You see, we just moved back to Florida after a few years in Japan this past October and from November to April it was one family emergency after the other. Life happens. Plans change. So my goals and ideas for rehabbing our yard after 3 years were put on the back burner.
One thing I did do was take one weekend to myself sometimes between New Year's and April (I can't even remember what month.) During this weekend I only did things I wanted to do. I went to garage sales and estate sales. I visited a few nurseries and I planned out two garden beds I had been thinking about for two years. One was a rain garden, plants that love water and will soak it up quickly if it pools in your yard, and the other, a tropical landscape inspired by our trip to Bali.
So, I took a selfish. (Schitt's Creek reference) I bought plants and spent the whole weekend ignoring everyone and doing what I needed to do to get myself in the right headspace to move forward. Creating a beautiful piece of living art in my back yard to enjoy and look at whenever things got crazy.
This one weekend of gardening, doing something that I liked just for me, helped ground me in a time of uncertainty. It was my self-care. It gave me something to focus on that wasn't the whirlwind of family crisis and running from one place to the next but brought me a peace I didn't know I was missing until I stepped back and took a deep breath (and some Zyrtec).
Gardening isn't for everyone, I know my friends and family would not consider that weekend self care for themselves but you need to find something that will help you turn off your brain that's going a million miles an hour and just breathe.
If you think that gardening may be a way for you to let loose, let's talk.