The Plot Thickens

May 12, 2025

I finally broke through my recent bout with uncertainty to find that I had a lot of very certain work to do in my garden. It’s mid-May, and I’m still working to prepare the plot so I can plant my future charges.

Luckily, the folks at the community garden couldn’t make it any easier. I know enough about gardening to be dangerous, but the organization provides tools, seeds, shared labor, and knowledge to help everyone get more enjoyment out of their summer. I passed a lovely hour this week “shopping” in the seed library. Just handling the many packets with their colorful photos renewed my sense of purpose and hope.

I also installed a small sign dubbing my plot “The No Work Garden.” This will be appropriate whether I don’t work enough on my garden, it doesn’t work, or it’s so successful that it requires no work.

Growing new life in the garden will be a welcome complement to the invasive species removal work I’ve done lately. It seems that these are the two modes of my life: getting rid of the negative and nurturing the positive. I owe this revelation to my time spent in silence on the land.

If I fail in the garden endeavor, it will be because I didn’t take advantage of all the support available. And yet, working alone will deepen my connection to this patch of ground. More time spent struggling in the garden might result in more inspiration for my writing. The choice is up to me.

The community garden volunteers give their time and talent so my neighbors and I can provide ourselves with fresh food and fresh ideas. What better way to approach this time of uncertainty?