Carolyn’s Garden

The Hard Work of Relaxation

My wife Carolyn is one of those people who needs to be doing or working towards something at all times. Not that she won’t hit the couch and hang with the dogs on a rainy day when rest is needed. But for her, life needs satisfying goals to plan and work for. Her love of gardening fills that need. Whether working from a condo deck or in a big suburban yard, Spring and Summer have always included trips to the nursery and finding what place has the best bags of dirt.

I have since learned there is science to the satisfaction that people get from working in the dirt and nurturing plants. Beyond the endorphins that come with physical exercise, gardening apparently releases microbes in the soil that stimulate the production of Sarotonin and Dopamine – the feel good hormones. Whatever the reason, I have seen it work – as reliable as Winter turning to Spring.

A garden doesn’t come together on its own – it takes thought and planning long before the ground has thawed.

A successful garden isn’t all about warm Saturday mornings with the smell of fresh-cut grass. It usually starts in the cold and rain.

Eventually, the weather turns and the summer-long work commences – weekends of hard work, sunshine and satisfaction. And lots of Dopamine.

The rewards are fragrant and colorful and soothing …

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and bring a well-deserved feeling of joy.