It’s one of those days. I’m sitting in my mumβs garden, in meditative mood, reflecting on my life. Taking in the scenery: The view of beautiful flowers and the smells and sounds of a summer night. Surrounded by bees and butterflies Iβm enjoying a lovely book. It is one of those for the soul. With cute short stories. I feel like sharing one with you.
So yes, today itβs a bit different. Today I would like to quote someone. Someone who I like to read and who brings me to reflect on certain things. Someone who loves to travel as much as I do and who is not afraid to live her life the way she likes it – even if at times it may be free-spirited or not quite conventional. A woman who in many ways reminds me of myself… Except that I am not famous (yet) ; )
Translated from the polish language, here is a little story on gardening, as an analogy to the organisation of our lives:
‘In my Life-garden’
βIn life, it’s like in a garden. You get a piece of land as your property. For a few years you donβt do anything with it, because you’re mainly involved in partying and trying to stay alive after the partying.
Until the day comes when you realised that partying is no longer such fun as it used to be. You want to start doing something. Something concrete.
(the search for meaning)
Oh – you remember – I have a piece of land called Life. I’ll start organising and decorating it.
You come to your garden to have a look and you see meters of weeds going wild. Stinging nettles, thistles, and under the earth kilometers of spreading quack grass.
Oh no! – you think – It looks worse than I expected! I think I’d better go back to the party.
You return to enjoying life for the next few years, but the image of your garden haunts you in your dreams. It appears in your thoughts more and more often, and finally you decide that you have to do something about it.
You come back to the garden. The weeds are even bigger. If there were paths somewhere, they have been hidden for a long time. What should I do? You are wondering. – How should I arrange this garden? I need to prepare for it!
(the planing and preparation)
You go back home, you start gathering information and tools. You buy shovels, rakes, watering hoses, buckets, sprinklers, fertilizer bottles, scissors and secateurs. You start to collect a seed supply. Filling the shelves with bags full of seeds of flowers, vegetables and herbs.
You start to make a plan. For the entire garden. From fence to fence.
You think you’ll create a pond to listen to the croaking of frogs. At the fencing you will plant climbing roses, summer lilac attracting butterflies and other flowers called bee friends. Or not. Instead of the butterfly bush you will plant a thuja hedge, it will be more elegant. Or not. Thuja is actually a bit common. Maybe it’s better to bring real cypresses from Italy. It will be beautiful! On the other side, you will plant blueberry shrubs. And a row of wild strawberries. Or not. Maybe it’s better to have more lawn on this side. Or build a path – paving stone? Or better wooden? Or not. The path may be better diagonally, and on this side you will plantβ¦ What would you like to plant here? You ask your neighbors for their opinion. Families. Friends.
People plant different things. One may say that itβs best to plant fruit trees, others encourage you to have a swimming-pool, and others tell you you should have a kitchen garden.
(the questioning)
Years are passing. You still sit with a pencil in your hand trying to plan your entire garden.
The weeds grow like a huge jungle full of spines and burning leaves. You still donβt have any fruit or even a path. The only thing you have is a few pages filled with unrealized plans. Pencil in hand. And fear in the eyes.
And you still donβt know what will happen next. You donβt know what to do with this garden or how to design it.
(just start somewhere)
But look! I took a small shovel, I came so my garden and I thought that I would like to plant a radish. I made one small patch, I teared weeds out, I came every day to water the seeds with fresh water. They germinate. Mature. Yeah I have radish for my bread now!
After some time, I thought that next to this radish I would like to plant coriander, so that my life sandwiches get more flavor. I made a second bed. I removed the weeds. I brought the seedlings. I nourished them daily with positive thoughts. Now I have radish and coriander!!
And then I thought – since this radish has grown so sweet and the coriander is so pleasantly spicy, I could plant a magnolia bush next to them to admire the pink flowers in the spring. I cleaned another part of the garden, cleared out weeds, brought black earth, planted the magnolia. In the spring she blossomed with wonderful flowers!!!
So look! I already have ripe radishes and aromatic coriander, plus a beautiful magnolia bush in the garden. I slowly make the next flower beds and plant whatever I need or want.
(it’s taking shape)
I donβt know yet how my entire garden will look like and Iβm not interested in all the details at the moment. Especially since I donβt consider myself a master of gardening yet. I’m constantly learning. Iβm learning about climbing plants and about new varieties of roses. Iβm coming up with new ideas, Iβm having new requirements.
So Iβm setting up my garden without hurry, piece by piece. I donβt immediately jump on the whole piece of land and I donβt design the whole project in detail. I believe that this garden creates itself step by step, over time. And I deal only with one small new patch. One small new tree. One row of green peas.
I love my garden! I work in it every day and change its shape a bit. I set myself small tasks, but each of them brings me closer to a bigger goal. And that’s what the garden called Life is all about.
(step by step)
Drop big plans to manage everything from fence to fence for now. Create one small patch and take care that something beautiful grows on it.
Water it with good and positive thoughts, with patience and kindness towards yourself. When the first plants grow, you will know what to do nextβ¦β
– By Beata Pawlikowska – polish journalist, traveler, writer, translator, photographer, book illustrator.
Transaled by me – Bea(ta) Kunysz – internatinal marketer, traveler, blogger, translator, story-teller, photographer, painter.
I hope you enjoyed!
Love, your B.
PS: If you liked this article, you might also enjoy this one: The sound of silence β my unique experience in a silent meditation retreat
