In The Garden

What a joy it is to present this latest installment of Every Day is Sunday by our friend and regular contributor, C.W. McHenry. Today Mr McHenry muses on the topic of the humble garden, and how it can bring a little Sunday sunshine into our lives. So put your feet up, crunch on a carrot, and enjoy.

When my son Fergus was a lad, the garden was the bit I mowed around on weekends. Seasons came and went, but the garden was always on the edges, where the occasional weed reared its invading, ugly features, necessitating a quick rip and tear.

You see, at the time my life was about work. Mowing the lawn was necessary, or the house would look a mess when work took over. I was distracting myself with the up-and-down routine of walking those lines, not missing a blade. Numbing the ache of responsibilities that had the potential to derail my private solace before the atrocities of the week started up again.

Then one wonderful, life changing day came a most outstanding realisation. The ‘bits around the edges’ had the potential to be beautiful, to attract birds, to provide their own opportunity for peace and solace, to provide inspiration and motivation. Where had this been all my life? What had I been doing for years while this passed me by?

Since then revelations have flowed like crystal clear water, just as the stream flows from the little stone angel at the foot of the blossom tree in the southern most corner of my new garden.

Suddenly I noticed there were seasons! And during these seasons the plants reacted in amusing, fascinating and delightful ways, all of which created opportunities to observe and bond with them; to enjoy their life, the creatures they attracted and their potential for exquisite beauty. Most fascinating of all there was a myriad of varieties of plants, all of which needed individual care and attention. How wonderful.

So my observations of the garden and my bond with the plants, the birds, the bees, the bugs and yes, even the weeds, had begun. They needed me to dig, to water, to feed and nurture them. To be mindful of the season and what they needed. To get my hands dirty and my body wet, to ensure that when the time came for nature to present them in their sublime glory, everything was as it should be. Everything was ready for the spirit and magic of the garden to bloom in full force.

It’s been a while now since I began enjoying this miracle of life and what I’ve found to be most wonderful is that gardens love you giving them attention any time. Birds and bugs don’t know what day it is. They’ll come for a sniff, a feed, a snooze at any opportunity. Flowers bloom when they’re ready, not when they have time to do it. Digging, planting and mulching is fulfilling no matter what! Seasons create their magic 365 days, year after year.

And best of all? I can do what I want in the garden, when I want to, and it will be delightful. I know it! Not only that, but if you can’t be ‘in’ the garden all you have to do is look out the window, take a seat or simply walk nearby. Joy!

Now I know that every day can be Sunday in the garden, if you go about it with love and care. Have fun.

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