For me, gardening is usually as much about "inspiration" as "perspiration". Typically, I am inspired when I am gardening and think of all sorts of things I want to share. But lately when I'm outside, I'm kind of like the guy in the commercial with the shark on his arm and all he is thinking is "cigarette, cigarette, cigarette." My gardening experiences, which normally are filled with thoughts of "sweet, sweet, sweet" inspiration and beauty, are currently filled with nothing but "sweat, sweat, sweat".
Today I found this wonderful article called How You Can Make A Green Difference For The World With A Garden, by Shawna Coronado. I mentioned Shawna in one of my previous posts called Nude Gardening to Beat the Heat. Or, to be more specific, I mentioned her book and website, both of which are called Gardening Nude.
But this new article deserves much more than just to be mentioned in passing.
It is a beautifully written essay about how Shawna changed her life, and the lives of many others, by planting a garden in the easement OUTSIDE of the fence around her property in Warrenville, Illinois. When Shawna decided to not only think outside the box, but to plant outside the box that the stockade fence around her property created, she found a whole new definition for the term "community garden". Shawna knows what kind of joy and pleasure can be found in a garden, and she wanted to share that joy with others. Not just with the friends and family that visit her garden, but the many passersby and neighbors that she previously had never even spoken to.
I won't give away all the details of this wonderful article, because it is definitely worth a read. It contains a beautiful inspirational message about how we all can make a tremendous difference in life if we just step outside of our comfort zone and the things that separate us and take the first step to spread some beauty out to the rest of the world.
Thanks, Shawna. I needed that! It was a perfect Sunday afternoon break for me. And once again, my thoughts during my gardening have returned to "sweet, sweet, sweet" inspiration and beauty.
