Cultivate the Garden Within

Garden. The word itself seems awkward and heavy. Garden. The word actually, originally meant enclosure. I just don’t see gardens that way… as closed off, but I suppose they are, aren’t they? When I am in a garden, my heart feels a little less heavy, my thoughts a little more focused, and my soul is definitely smiling. Perhaps there is some innate feeling of safety to be found in a garden, something that only being bound by some sort of enclosure can provide. Like, how newborn babies are bound up in their blankets to make them feel safe and secure, to quiet them. That’s how I feel in a garden, quiet. Quiet, but free. There is a sense of freedom that only a garden can provide. A sense that anything is possible, an almost godlike omniscience when I know every plant intimately. I plant the seedlings with a delicate touch and watch them daily grow, sometimes hourly. When the first fruit emerges, I guard it like my own child, preparing the plant against unwanted insects, staking the stalk so it won’t break, fencing it off against wildlife, watering and feeding it and delighting in its daily growth. There are many lessons to be learned in a garden.

You can bury a lot of troubles digging in the dirt. It clears my mind by breaking down life to its simplest principles. Gardening is therapy for me, much like cooking is, though it’s not as predictable as cooking. Perhaps, that’s where the true joy is to be found, the true lesson – that unexpected outcomes can still be beautiful and worthy.

We planted a vegetable garden at the Homer News last weekend. It was a cool, overcast day – around 50 degrees, perfect for planting. Adam, our resident webmaster and gardener extraordinaire, brought extra fencing, posts, matting, tubing, gauze covering, tools, and over 100 Alaska-proven seedlings that he just happened to have on hand. Who just has that stuff… around? Adam, that’s who! Michael, newswriter, brought extra raspberry canes from his home. McKibbin (newswriter) and her husband (along for the ride) brought juice and bagels with all the fixin’s. Lori (editor/publisher), Merinda (receptionist/Girl Friday), and I brought garden gloves and willing spirits. Three hours, a half dozen bagels, and hundreds of spadefuls of dirt later… a bonified garden emerged. Cauliflower. Broccoli. Potatoes. Red Cabbage. And more.

When you work side by side with people in a garden, you become more than co-workers. It’s not that a lot of conversation takes place. Remember, gardens make us quiet – it’s not just me, apparently. It’s the common goal of preserving and growing living things. Now, we have that garden right outside our door to go visit during the day… when McKibbin needs some quiet time to brainstorm story ideas or Adam needs a break from his computer screen, or I just need to regroup after managing 70 different ads for one week’s paper.

I’ve only been at the Homer News for 2 ½ months and I already feel part of the team. We definitely all have to work together to bring that paper to fruition week after week. It was a natural extension to carry that team spirit to the garden.