Legend has it that all life began in a garden.  It was a garden where humans could live in harmony with their inner selves and their higher power.  A power that not only created them, but also the nurturing flora and fauna that constituted their environment.  With the horrors of global and local news, we know that we can never return to this ancient Utopia.  However, Nature has a way of healing the wounds and making us feel better.  Although public madness never ceases, inside our garden gate the sun continues to rise, the rain continues to fall and the flowers keep on blooming.  These simple facts bring peace, reassurance and deep joy to our lives.  Gardens do not have to be purely cosmetic or status oriented.  Instead, the garden can play a vital role as a place of peace, health and inspirational
beauty.

In planning a garden the key is to think of the role it will play in your life.  Do you want a spot to meditate?  Who has not found peace in the sound and joy in the beauty of a waterfall splashing in a perfect sunset?  Nature imbues us with a rush of good feelings.  It alone dares us to believe that the world can be right again.  In fact, according to the American Horticultural Therapy Association, gardening is a tool used to aid people suffering from depression, obesity, teens-at-risk, elderly and those challenged mentally and/or physically.  A therapist from the local Florida Chapter of the AHTA said, “Almost every day there are little victories in my work.  One elderly man who had suffered a stroke, had been refusing to leave his bed for a very long time.”  She explained that, “One day he mentioned to a nurse that he had gardened as a child, and together, we encouraged him to come see the vegetable garden.  Now, he is dressed and ready to go to the Garden Club every Tuesday and Thursday morning.”

Perhaps, like many of us, you are trying to drop a couple of pounds.  Gardening is one of the world’s best ab exercises.  As you dig, mulch, prune or weed, your abs are twisting and contracting as you move through your landscape.  In addition, all the bending, lifting and walking, not only beautifies your garden but it also burns nearly 350 calories an hour.  Throughout industrialized nations, especially in the USA where fast food is king, most of our fresh produce and herbs are fumigated and irradiated in order to kill all microorganisms - both the bad and the good.  Think of growing your own fruit, vegetables and herbs just as Nature intended - free from pesticides, grown organically and unadulterated when they arrive at your table.

Maybe you seek better health and vitality through gardening.  Along with the benefits from diet and exercise, the soil of the earth is your body’s best friend.  Even today, as children we are meant to play in the dirt.  Our immune systems need this kind of exposure to learn how to react later in life to real, or not so real, threats to our health.  Without early exposures to all sorts of organisms, some immune systems overreact to benign intruders.  Hence, we develop autoimmune diseases, some types of asthma and all sorts of allergies.  Even our intestines are home to perhaps 10,000 kinds of microbes.  One of the surprises in decoding the human genome was that it contains more than 200 genes that come from bacteria.  So, go ahead and get dirty.  It’s good for you!

Gardening is a positive step.  It is an easy exercise that relieves stress and helps people lose weight by readjusting their metabolism naturally.  A calming activity when we commune with the beauty of Nature.  And, a spontaneous activity that makes our bodies more resistant to environmental carcinogens and other toxins.  Gardening turns our positive actions and attentions into something real and good.  Throughout the world, all cultures strive to understand seed, soil and water.  Being able to experience the orderly and nurturing beauty of Nature is one of life’s greatest rewards.  Yes, a garden can serve several purposes.  Each can contribute to human vitality, extend a sense of accomplishment or establish a special atmosphere for quiet introspection.  If your landscaping is not just for show, consider the alternatives and the prospects of increasing your happiness, health and self-awareness in your own Garden of Eden.

When you think Gardens, think Dalsimer!