digging

I'm about as far from a gardener as a person can be, but the book Digging Deep by Fran Sorin caught my eye recently on a sale table at Borders.  The subtitle is "Unearthing Your Creative Roots through Gardening."  Our duplex's yard requires minimal upkeep.  The landlord's gardening service mows and edges the lawn, and the city crews trim the street's trees.  All we do is maintain the beds and water the lawn (and the landlord pays for the water.  And it's time to break out the sprinkler, since our temps have reached the 90's.)  I've been telling Jeffrey that before he heads out on tour (next week), I want us to clean out the beds and plant some tomatoes.  Our first year here we had tomatoes galore!

From the introduction in Digging Deep:

"...what we are aiming at in this book is not being specifically creative in terms of a project, but being generally creative in terms of how we approach life.  Creativity is not something we do; it is something we embody.  I believe the ultimate goal is not to be more creative, but to learn how to live creatively."

"Living creatively means approaching each moment as an opportunity to be more spontaneous.  It means opening to possibility, exploring, trusting your instincts, and owning and expressing your unique style.  It means being true to your needs, experimenting, taking risks, staying flexible, and not always having to rush to conclusion.  A person living creatively is always pushing toward new growth, as the psychologist Rollow May says, not without fear, but in spite of it."

"In its simplest form, gardening is simply the process of actively relating with some sort of plant life.  I have little old ladies come to my workshops who have only African violets on their coffee tables, but they are emotionally invested in caring for these little plants.  By all means, these ladies are gardening!"

I think that's why growing tomatoes two years ago (and we also had some bell and chili peppers) gave me such a rush!  I'd never grown vegetables before, and I was amazed that they were growing in spite of my lack of gardening skills!  I was definitely emotionally invested in those tomato plants, and truly enjoyed eating every one of them that we picked. 

Comments

[poet with a day job]

You know where I stand on the matter: plant it! I cannot tell you how good it feels, even to have my simple little boxes. They grow, man. I love them, and want them to grow, and they grow. Simply amazing. I wish it was as easy for myself! My cukes are now flowering!

Also, I think Pittsburgh will be a HUGE change from the Bay Area, but I am originally from an east coast small town, so it will also be a welcome re-introduction.

[Carmen]

Yes!!!

[Margaret]

I love the feeling of digging in the earth after picking out the plants I want. I enjoy watching them bloom and grow. It's so symbolic of life and what it has to offer.

[violetismycolor]

I love gardening...except for all the weeds, whose function in life is to annoy me and make me work too hard...

[tinker]

Oh, I so want to look for that book - thanks for the recommendation. I love books on creativity and books on gardening - so one that combines both, sounds like a winner to me. Good luck with the tomatoes!

[bella]

It is one of the best feelings, to plant something and watch it grow. (I don't have a green thumb either). But, yesterday, I noticed that some of the perrenial flowers I plant last year are growing back in. Also, my dad planted some Lily of the Valley (the flower of his patron saint).. and it spreads and grows the same day each year, May 6th - his actual patron saint day. It is a great feeling and I wish you luck with your gardening.

[Floridora]

Very interesting, A very kind nurse taught me a similar breathing exercise to practice when the pain made things darn near unbearble

[Kara]

I cannot plant tomatos where I live without a lot of trouble (rabbits will eat them). At my former house in Albuquerque we always grew cherry tomatos. I sort of miss that - so if you can plant tomatos - go for it! Cherry tomatos or those little yellow pear shaped tomatos would be fun. You'll have lots and can give them to friends!

[Nancy]

My blog is called Garden Spot for a reason..lol so yes, I'm all for growing the 'maters... cause the ones at the store don't taste nearly as good as the ones you pick and pop right into your mouth!

Keep Bloomin'

Nancy