Gardening by Trowel and Error
by Cindy La Ferle
After all these years, I still can’t muster the nerve to call myself a real gardener.
Real gardeners understand that a garden is an ecosystem as well as an art form. Real gardeners spend hours studying seed catalogs, and can identify every plant in the nursery by its botanical name. Always victorious in the battle against slugs, real gardeners are attuned to nature’s early warning signs and know exactly what to do when leaves turn yellow. A real gardener I am not — but I’m getting there.
Gardening as a metaphor for living is a cliché as old as the gardens at Versailles. But after I turned fifty, it occurred to me that plotting my life’s course has been as tricky as maintaining the perennial beds I started a few years ago. My garden has provided clues along the way.
I love this. As a woman contemplating career options after a hiatus for motherhood, I’m trying to get comfortable with living the questions. Thanks for putting into words for me.
Great article. My motto for my life is “Less Stuff, More Fun” and I’m glad to see more people are adopting this life style.
I’ve lost so many people in my life and I know that when they are gone you still have “stuff” but it does not make you happy. If it does, you have your priorities in life mixed up.
Thank you Cindy. You now have a new fan.