Get a Little "Spring" in your Step!
Posted on: Monday, February 01, 2010
Whenever I discuss gardening, I often hear, "Oh, I have a brown thumb, I kill everything!" or "My plants died on me".
These statements are discouraging on two levels. First, because I love gardening and I want to share it's joys with everyone. Secondly, that mindset can deprive you of great benefits and exciting opportunities.
A case in point: I love dance of all types and enjoy watching people dance. It never ceases to amaze me the inventive ways choreographers get dancers to move their bodies in tune with music. Now I can wiggle and twitch with rhythm, but I'm not a natural dancer. I've never been able to learn a dance and then execute it on the dance floor without fierce concentration and numerous (and often embarrassing) flubs. Yet despite this lifetime experience with dance, I haven't stopped trying. This past summer my daughter talked me into buying a hip hop DVD. Let me tell you, hip hop is HARD! The beginning session has 64 steps and I've only mastered 24! Now as sure as death and taxes I promise you that you will never see me doing any of these moves on the dance floor. Yet I persist...why? Two benefits...
1. Physical aspect of keeping in shape
2. Mental aspect of exercising the "concentration muscle"
It's the same with gardening! So you brown thumbs out there don't be discouraged, be diligent and persistent. The benefits are almost the same as dancing. they keep you moving, give you plenty of time to think and ponder, and unlike dancing, you can harvest the fruits of your labor, literally with flowers and vegetables, as well as create a visual feast in your landscape.
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