When I was little, being joyful was displayed by an exuberant dance or belly laugh. Today, being joyful is a quiet happiness, that is usually a long time coming. When I sit down to a lunch that came directly from my backyard, I'm joyful, giddy almost. When my seven-year-old is genuinely disappointed that the chickens won't be laying as many eggs during the winter and we serve store-bought eggs, I'm quietly joyful. She has learned something! She is developing her own set of values! When a visiting friend of my daughter's asks about why the corn in her Peapatch didn't grow, I'm joyful and excited to see genuine interest in knowing where our food comes from and how to make it grow. Many of my friends have watched me on this journey of gardening and owning chickens and ducks. It's a full operation in my backyard and it's something I'm excited to share with people who, like me had a black thumb at one point or another. (I still can't be trusted with indoor plants.)
Gardening has allowed me to expand my experience growing things, learn patience and planning. I never wanted to have to learn patience, but now that I have, I'm less anxious and I'm a better parent to my kids. Overall, gardening and sharing my hobbies with my kids teaches me to be grateful every day. On most days, I can go outside, kick up some dirt, build a fence, grab warm chicken eggs from the coop, dig a pond, build a bridge and be creative in the yard. And it feels great to stop by friends' homes and see a little pot of half dead (half alive!) herbs that I gave them last year. Joy.
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Avant-Garde(n)Quick updates charting my novice and experimental, gardening adventures at home. Archives
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