Another Messy Work Space

I'm a big city girl; always have been; always thought I would be.  Maybe I will, but recently, I discovered a new world and, if you will, a new aspect to me; something that I enjoy almost as much as I enjoy writing or working with Runes, something that makes the big city feel like it is a world away, even though I still live within its borders.

It's my yard!  When we moved into our house a few years ago, there was a lovely garden in the back yard, a lovely garden that didn't suit us at all.

  

After two years of largely letting it go, we are taking it back and making it our own.  We are removing trees and rose bushes and trimming back lots of other vegetation so that we can plant food.

Last month, Chantel shared a picture of her messy workspace as she makes her way through a creative process.  Now, I want to share my messy workspace - my yard/garden - as I make my way through the process of empowering myself to overcome feelings of helplessness and frustration.  We still have a long way to go in this multi-year undertaking, but we're under way and it feels great!

It is messy, but it is also progress.  My husband removed the scraggly cedars that ran along the side of the porch:

Before and after tree removal with the mess in the foreground

I cleared two sections and planted corn in the space along the fence:

Before the flowers (roses removed from along the fence) and after.

And veggies (lettuce, broccoli, onions, beans, and tomatoes) in the other section where roses once stood:

Before (where the roses were in a circular enclosure) and after where the dark soil awaits my veggies.

 It's a trial this summer; a learn as I go process.  If I get some food this year, I will be very happy;  if not, I will be grateful for the experience and continue to prepare the rest of the yard for next year, when I plan to triple the growing area.  I am so excited and driven by this opportunity!

The only experience I've had with purely personal satisfaction like this was writing my novel, my blog about Runes and, well, doing almost any kind of writing.  But gardening, planting and growing my own food, feeds a very different part of my psyche than writing does.

They are both evolved, sophisticated, and educated, but along very different lines.  It's absolutely fascinating to be so enthralled by two such different feats, yet have them strike so many of the same chords from almost opposing sides and give me such a strong feeling of satisfaction, peace of mind, and overall fulfillment.

When I write, I feel like I can go any place and any time in history that I want; create my own world and experience.  When I garden, I feel like I am going back to a world that was simpler, maybe harder, but grounded and full of meaning.  It has truly given me another wondrous path on which to engage my inner wisdom.

Practice Engaging Your Inner Wisdom
Gardening is something I never thought I would like or do.  This week, I challenge you to try something new, something that you never thought you would do or something you have been wanting to try, but haven't.  Then, let me know how it goes and how the experience affected the way that you understand and follow your inner wisdom.