Let the garden care for you

Early this morning when I was quietly getting ready to go out to the garden (summer is such a lovely time to listen to the sounds of my family sleeping in) I got a message from a friend cancelling our plans for today. When I saw her the other day I could tell she was not feeling well and had been to the doctor but I thought it was nothing out of the ordinary and everything would be fine. She told me this morning she is still not feeling well and had to cancel.

I thought about her as I tended to the garden. I walked around checking on new plantings, watering herbs, tiptoeing carefully around bees humming in the roses and the sunflowers. I harvested the usual summer offerings for my family – vine ripened tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers and herbs, of course.

The garden tells me what we will have for dinner which, especially in summer, is always a relief. I hate the feeling when it’s 4:30pm, you realize nothing has been planned for dinner and that low-level stress creeps into the pit of your stomach. Oh, the pressure we put on ourselves to quickly think of something healthy and delicious that we can make perfectly, and if it looks like something out of a magazine, we give ourselves a pat on the back through sighs of relief.

Life has got to be easier. While I diligently meal plan during the school year, I try to have a looser plan during the summer and let the garden tell me what’s for dinner. We have our usual meats available, Herb Salt and BBQ Rub at the ready and the garden tells us the rest.

But for now, I am thinking about my sweet friend. As I put our garden dinner in my basket I noticed some of the flowers that I love to grow alongside our family’s favorites and my obsession for herbs seemed to be smiling at me. I noticed one and then another and soon I had snipped a bouquet that made my heart truly happy. “She is going to love this” I told my little dog (who is everywhere I am, all the time). I tied it with the jute string that lives in my gardening apron and put it gently in my harvest basket.

Later this afternoon this happily little bouquet of garden flowers will make its way to my friend’s front porch along with some homemade cookies for her little boys, homemade garden marinara sauce to make life easier, her favorite tea and a love note to make her smile. I know sharing my little garden with her will make her smile. Let the garden take care of you and yours, my friends. Share with others and let the garden bring you joy.