I cannot say I always thought gardening was “therapy”. As a child I lived on a tree farm. In 1969 my father decided to change his career as a carpenter to an organic tree farmer. His family of a wife and 4 children joined him; it was a family tree farm. Organic growing methods were considered unconventional at that time. Dad believed most of the horticultural chemicals used on this earth were harmful for our environment; plants, animals, and humans alike. So my siblings and I were the herbicides and pesticides. We pulled out weeds with our gloved hands and picked bag worms off the evergreens.
Despite those hard years getting the tree nursery established, I later appreciated the conservative values I learned as a child grower, as well as the beauty of the outdoors and plant life. Today, I love flowers and growing plants organically. The rich rewards of the pink eye candy and fragrance of a peony bush outweighs the toil of tending to it. Gardening, and writing about it are my therapies from this complicated society we live in. I choose the simple life of gardening rather than to solve the world’s troubles. To me tending to plants as a farmer or gardener speaks James 1:2-5. “Consider it pure joy, my brother, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance…maturity.”
Kristina Jacobsen, a cultural anthropologist and singer-songwriter recently wrote in a Blue Zones article about her experience in Italy and living among the Italians during the novel corona virus pandemic. “Antonio Pani plays with the word ‘corona,’ which also means ‘crown’ and symbolizes power. He addresses the novel corona virus, singing in the southern version of the Sardinian language, Campidanese: ‘Even if you walk around with a crown, you will never be our king’.” Pani’s sentiments are shared among all mankind around this world today.
Woman Warrior 