How Green Living & Gardening Enriches Our Lives

The concept of Green Living is not very far fetched, if you think about it. We can all recall the lazy summer days of childhood when the sun was beaming down, and the one thing we relished most was a spraying water spigot, either from the garden hose, or if in the city, the fire hydrant. The ground at first hot and grainy beneath our toes, suddenly transformed into a cool and soothing mud mush, that we happily turned into a glorious splash of a mud bath.

I grew up in the Midwest, raised by parents from the deep South, who revered and cherished God's good earth in every way. They planted gardens for harvest, and grew prize winning roses and every flower imaginable. We were encouraged as children, to "get our hands dirty", and assist in the planting, cultivating and harvesting of the garden so that we would have an appreciation of the process and enjoy the bounty that much more. This was replicated by the entire neighborhood, as local "horticulturist" , honed their skills in order to outshine the next door competitor. Just taking a stroll down the block or around the corner inundated your senses with the beauty and wonder, not to mention the heavenly smells of nature at it's best. It was a point of pride to have friends and especially strangers acknowledge the hard work and dedication to the beautification of the landscape, if only in their tiny pocket of the earth.

My parents were adept at both foliage and vegetable growing. The harvest at the end of growing season yielded enough fresh greenage to store and freeze for winter, as well as to share with friends, relatives and often strangers. There is something inherently grand about planting, cultivating and harvesting one's own food that is pure Americana.

Life and circumstances had forced us to abandon these simple and practical pleasures, but the current economic climate has forced many of us to take a second look at home and community gardens. If we all planted a tiny garden or a few flowering bulbs, the harvest we yield would enrich our lives, our communities, and once again bring beauty to our tiny pockets of the earth.