In the Garden

Spring is upon us here in Colorado. Well, probably a few more snow storms brewing before the rains and lasting warmth of Spring comes. The warm days are currently sneaking in for a day or two before wandering off for a respite. But, I guess that is what they mean by Spring Training.
This year my garden hardly got put to bed. The snows came and they came hard and they stayed. Very un-Colorado-like.
A couple of weeks ago I saw my garden for the first time in months. All of the spindly, dead branches. Loads of leaves. And even......gasp.......things that had stayed green sheltered under the snow.
So, it was time to clear the rubble and get to work. I cleared the rubble, but only got back to work yesterday. It feels good to turn soil. To add what is necessary to make things grow. To put in seeds or transplant bulbs. It is a great feeling.
I hear all kinds of analogies about gardening and our lives. But there's something missing. It's always about the beautiful flowers, the warm soil, the amazement of watching it grow, the turning the soil......but there's something more to gardening. If you want to garden, you are going to get dirty. Sometimes there are toads or salamanders lazing about. A few times, I've frightened a snake; they returned the favor each time. There are beetles and worms galore. Roly polies. Centipedes. Spiders of all shapes and sizes. Of course, there are some pretty lady bugs too. And praying mantisses. Then there's the soil. It is messy. Gets under the nails. Up the arms. In the shoes. On the ankles, knees and butt. And then, to that soil you have to add things........rotted veggies......manure of all sorts.....coke......epsom salts.....bone meal........blood meal......sugar....beer...sand. It's dirty work. Literally. There's the sweat of digging holes, hoeing rows and pulling weeds. And the thorns and stickers and splinters come from everything. Most thorns have some kind of oil that makes their prick sting even more. This morning my hands are pocked with marks from the thorns. Everyone has weeds, though those who tend the garden well in the beginning do get a better start. Gardening DOES represent life, but not only in the miracle of growth and beauty.
Sometimes in life when getting rid of the overgrowth, there's a snake. Sometimes, there are worms and things that seem yucky, but they really do help. Life has lots of beauty, but at it's base, it's a lot of effort. It requires courage. It demands the ability to get dirty. It begs for us to persevere until we get to the beautiful parts.
Many parents seem to go into parenting thinking that if they are nice and treat their kids well then everything will be pretty. Ha. Imagine the shock the first time they find a salamander. Or an unexpected beetle. Or a black widow. Kids are full of life. Full of doing good and trying lots of other things too. Just like in the garden, maybe the key is knowing that it's just part of the experience. Over reacting never achieves anything. Except drama and trauma.
I do love gardening. As one of the kids said as we walked in the house yesterday, "it just makes you feel like you've accomplished a lot."
Ah. Wise. The good feeling of staying with a task. So it is in life and its unexpected surprises.
blessings,
rhonda