Zen Places written by Ava Green
There is something in my DNA that makes me crave getting my hands in soil, and growing a garden. Nature has been an integral part of my entire life.
As a child, my mom would hand me a basket, and I would wander our farm and woodlot all afternoon, searching for wild raspberries or strawberries. So, yes, I was a bit of a loner! But being in nature became imprinted in me. And growing flowers or food or both gives me a great sense of accomplishment.
“I’m really quite simple. I plant flowers and watch them grow… I stay at home and watch the river flow.” George Harrison
So a few years ago, my husband and I sold our house (and garden), and began a journey of letting go of things, simplifying, and becoming a little more nomadic. We spent five Christmases in different houses as we travelled from town to town, trying out old houses, new houses, and different surroundings. At times it was stressful, and pretty daunting. The constant in my life became tending the garden that came with renting each house we moved to. Until we moved to our latest home, in a brand new subdivision with no garden to be found. Just a lawn. What looked like a big problem to me soon proved to be an interesting new prospect – the community garden. A friend had just secured a plot that was way bigger than he’d expected, so we decided to share it, and garden together. What an amazing experience!
Soon this loner gardener was joyously planting veggies alongside other people who just couldn’t wait to get their hands in the dirt to plant something as well. We would spend hours leaning on the fence, sharing what we knew, exchanging plants (some of the best heirloom tomatoes I’ve ever had), and tending to our plots.
Being in this garden, being in nature, tending to plants are all meditative things that just feed my soul. Gardening, nature, and now yoga. My zen places.