Soul Cultivation

Gardening is a popular hobby. It fulfills aesthetic needs, but also physical, mental and spiritual goals. I've often heard gardeners describe the experience as "therapeutic." And I can't help but agree. This morning I harvested basil seeds (both sweet green as well as purple) while David potted up some "rescued" plants he saved from a vacant lot slated for clearing. For a time, at least, we shifted our energy from grieving to planning our winter and even next spring's garden. Literally and metaphorically we are all part of the ongoing cycle of life and death. As one "specimen" reaches the end of its cycle, another seedling emerges. Fresh, new and optimistic. We have spent all morning pruning and watering and preparing for our garden's future. We've flexed our muscles, our minds and our souls.