Planting Seeds and Finding Hope
Happy Monday, sweet friends. What a strange time we are in. So much has changed in the ten days since I shared my thoughts on the pandemic. At that point, it was just a looming anxiety over what was to come. Now, as we approach the eye of the storm, we find that much of what was feared is coming to pass.
Our family lives in New Jersey which borders New York, one of the places hardest hit at the moment. The National Guard is being sent in there. It’s terrifying–a surreal reality that most of us never could have imagined. But here we are.
I won’t sugarcoat things, the first week of this was terrible for me. My anxiety went through the roof and our family took more time adjusting than I had hoped. It was painful, scary and tense. Gratefully, by Thursday things began to shift for us. I found my way back to peace. We found balance within our new (temporary?) normal. By the weekend, we hit our stride. And on top of that, we were blessed with some lovely weather too.
It still isn’t easy. Nothing about this is easy. It’s awful and all of the unknowns can be crushing. But, as in all of life’s difficulties, there is good, magic, and beauty to be found. It’s important to recognize that acknowledging the good does not mean that we are forgetting about the bad. The bad is always going to be there, and there is no sense living in denial. Still, it is possible to acknowledge the bad, and simultaneously choose to focus on the good. And right now, I am choosing to focus on the good. Read more for additional information about the Coronavirus.
For me, the things that help most are:
- limiting my news consumption to twice a day
- moving my body (yoga and long walks have been Godsends)
- implementing routine (especially around homeschooling, meals[!] and chores)
- making time to create (blog, journal, take pictures)
- reading
- and practicing mindfulness/being present
We’ve also been binge-watching Westworld and True Blood which provides such a relaxing comfort, but which I also try to save for the end of the day because falling into a lazy rut would only make me more anxious and depressed. Staying active and productive is good for my soul.
Yesterday was chilly but the sun was bright so we took advantage of it and spent lots of time outside. Most importantly, we got to work on our plans for the garden and started organizing our seeds. Now, more than ever, gardening is such an important act–planting seeds of hope for what is to come. Audrey Hepburn said it best, “To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.” We have a lot of work to do out there yet and our seeds have a long way to go, of course, but keeping that faith in tomorrow is everything to me right now.
It is planting season, in every possible way. But eventually, planting leads to blooming, and blooming leads to harvest.
Here are a few links to what we’re using at the moment while we start our seeds: seed pots and seed starting mix. As always, most of my seeds come from my favorite place, Johnny’s Seeds and I’m also trying out a few from another lovely supplier, Baker’s Creek Seeds this year. I’ll let you know how all of it works out as we move through these next seasons. And here is one of my all-time favorite posts I’ve written about some of our other gardening favorites.
I hope that you are well, friends. I urge you to listen to the officials. Shelter in place. Be safe. Focus on the good. Sending you all of my love–