Tending the Garden

Spring is blossoming here in the Northwoods. After six months of winter, there is nothing better than feeling my toes on the moss, watching the crocuses sway in the wind, eating the first dandelion greens, and drinking freshly-infused nettle tea.

My phone and computer seem to demand my attention constantly. As a website designer, marketing professional, and writer of my first book, they receive their wishes regularly. Sometimes I wonder what life would be like if social media and smart phones simply did not exist. Alas, they do, and while I am grateful for the interconnectivity, I am in a constant process of setting my boundaries with technology and aligning with my human goals.

With the change in the weather and the sun inviting me outside, all of my spare time is going to the land.

This is my resistance, my dream, and my gift.

Amidst a world that is full of grief, confusion, broken systems, and tired souls fighting against tyranny, tending a garden feels like a radical act of faith.

As I water the sunflower, watermelon, and squash seedlings, I envision the overflowing abundance of summer and fall, feeding myself and community with nourishment and beauty.

As I plant elderberry, raspberry, and currant cuttings, I imagine the children that will pluck and devour these berries in five years.

As I mulch the apple trees and prune the plum tree, I delight in the fruit they will bear over the next twenty or thirty years of our lives.

Gardening is believing in tomorrow. Gardening is nurturing future generations. And gardening is healing our hearts, attention spans, and unsettled nervous systems.

After over ten years of nomadic living, rooting into this one place, pouring my love into it, and receiving the constant outpouring of land-based blessings is the most incredible gift. And the best part of it is that it is not just for me.

This place, known as Potter’s Farm, is a retreat center for all beings who believe in creating a better world from the inside out.

It feels like all the caring energy I give to each flower, each forest trail, each century-old stone building, is radiating out to all the souls who will bask in this sanctuary space, to be claimed at a future time.

While this place, like the world, is going through a major period of transition and transformation, my heart holds the dream alive of being a thriving center for connection and consciousness exploration.

Grateful for the journey, the mystery, and the miracle.

From the garden of my soul to yours~
M.