Gardening & meditative walking

Tomato garden on 5.6.20

I’ve never had a garden do as well as these are this year. I think it has to do with covid, and me not wanting to go grocery shopping. I’ve spent every day since May 6th, obsessing over the gardens. Watering, weeding, and watching them grow. These crazy plants are up to my shoulders now..and there are a gazillion tomatoes.

Tomato garden on 6.25.20

I never used to enjoy gardening, and saw it as an annoying, dreaded chore, kinda like the work I do in Photoshop. This year, not only do I love gardening, I also like taking care of the lawn. Crazy?? Yes, but it sure beats hating it. I have a lot of grass to mow. Might as well make the best of it. 

My cheap knock off fitbit watch tells me that I walk 11 miles each time I mow the grass, which for a while there was twice a week. Can I just say, without sounding like I’m complaining, that 22 miles a week is a lot of walking? lol 

I practice walking meditation while mowing. It’s so therapeutic. Breathing in “I have arrived”; Breathing out “I am home” is one of my favorites. Also, a simple “left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot.. turn” is also one I practice. 

When you’re saying these mantras to yourself, there’s no way you have time to tell yourself a million and one times how much you hate mowing the lawn (or whatever dreaded task you’re doing), which is what I used to do. I had a tape rolling in my head, “it’s tooooo hot. I HATE mowing the lawn. I HATE the heat. I hate the outdoors. My allergies!! I’m going to be sooo sick later. Gawd I HATE grass. Can’t wait until this is over. This is such a waste of time. I could be doing xyz instead..” 

Squash garden on 5.6.20

On and on it went. It was negative repetitive mind chatter, and it was making me miserable. Of course, mowing the lawn sucked..because I was telling myself it did. When you’re repeating mantras, instead of allowing your brain to run rampant, your mind has no other choice but to stop all the negativity and be in the here and now. It was like turning a light switch on in a dark room. 

1st spaghetti squash

My old mindset was making things 100x more difficult than it needed to be. I actually enjoy what I am doing outside now, and life is a beautiful thing.

Try it. 🙂 It’s a little hard at first to stay focused because the hate will want to seep through, but if you keep practicing, you won’t be disappointed in the results you get. Say your mantra out loud if that helps to quiet your brain. 

This is what I harvested yesterday.
Going to make some yummy tomato sauce 
during the winter
with these babies. 
mmm

Covid has definitely changed me. I appreciate life so much more now. I don’t take anything for granted. Every single day is precious, and I’m happy to be alive, living it.  

 

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