this is the question i've been asking myself today. i can't even keep a couple of house plants alive and i'm mulling over the idea of starting a garden. i won't commit to a plot in a community garden because i'm too embarrassed that i'll still hate having dirty hands (an issue since childhood which has turned me into what my friends would call an "indoor girl") and won't tend to my plants and they'll all die and turn to weeds and yield nothing edible at all.
i'm convinced that so many of society's problems are caused by the fact that we (americans especially) do not do anything anymore. we buy pre-made everything and sit in front of computers all day and blog, twitter, facebook, blackberry, im ourselves through reality without ever exerting a drop of energy toward creating the things we need to survive. i attributed recent occurrences of workplace violence and kidnapping to the fact that no one farms anymore in a conversation with co-workers about the crumbling of civilized society. i really believe that. humans are animals and fundamentally, don't we have the instinctual desire to exert physical energy? is it safe to assume that the relationship between actively creating and stress relief exists? i could go on and on about this for pages and pages but you'd get bored and i already know you get what i'm saying. i mean for goodness sake, people don't even walk anywhere anymore-- they buy smart cars to save gas on "around town errands". 3 words: ride a bike. so there.
back to gardening. i'm afraid i'm going to get bored with it and let everything die. i'm afraid i'm going to hate getting dirty and i'll freak out at the bugs (especially caterpillars--eww). but why is any of that stopping me? i've been looking for a new creative outlet, something that's just mine and that will provide me with some much needed alone time. i have a wonderful place to plant a garden at my grandparent's place and i really think i should put my money where my mouth is and start contributing to things that i believe in-- like sustainability and self-sufficiency.
i think i'm going to try to make a "square foot garden" which seems wonderful because there's no digging or roto-tiller rental involved-- i can't be trusted with machinery of any sort. perhaps small at first, with some herbs and peppers and tomatoes (for color and for michael, not for me). maybe i'll throw in some flowers just because they're pretty and i always love having fresh blooms in the house.
i really want to be good at this and stick to it. i want to know that i've created something that nourishes my body and soul and perks up the earth just a little bit. cross your green thumbs for a healthy harvest-- i need all the help i can get.
