“Strap yourself to a tree with roots, you ain’t going nowhere.”—Bob Dylan
Grounded. There are a few definitions of the word. In this time of a pandemic we are grounded in the sense of being kept at home, forbidden to engage in social contact, isolated. It feels like a punishment. But we can try to be grounded in a positive manner, meaning emotionally and mentally stable, well-balanced. Even the electrical term, grounded, means being literally connected to the earth. And connection to the earth is what gardening is about.
“It’s a place where I find myself when I need to lose myself.”—Alice Sebold
Our gardens, more than ever, become places of refuge. As we are isolated in our homes, the garden is a release from confinement, a small way to be part of the world, albeit, in a solitary way. To plant a seed, see it germinate and mature is to observe the continuity of life. Though, at times, we may be unable to work in the garden, it will be there when we feel better. Plant some seeds of arugula and radishes for quick gratification. In a few days small leaves will appear, and within weeks you can eat from your garden. Don’t forget the free offerings from the wild. It’s time to eat dandelion greens, fiddlehead ferns, and ramps. The nutritional value of foraged food is higher than any we cultivate.
“Gardening is an instrument of grace.”—May Sarton
We are fortunate to live in a rural area. Turn off the news. Go outside, garden, or go for a walk. The exercise and fresh air alleviate stress and depression. In April the spring ephemerals (plants that emerge and bloom and fade away in a short period of time) are flowering. Delicate, fragile bloodroot, trillium, jack-in-the-pulpit, and marsh marigolds are on the edges of the woods as frogs croak and peep and the birds sing from the treetops.
“I’m going to sit here every day the sun shines and eat the light.”—Mary Rose O’Reilley
The fleeting flowers can help us accept that we too are ephemeral. The new virus is making us remember that each human life is finite, like all life on this planet. But it is spring, a time to garden, to become grounded again. We are of the earth, the ground. Let it help you feel balanced, stable, sane, and connected in this uncertain time.
“Garden as though you will live forever.”—Thomas Moore
April, 2020
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