I felt I had fallen into a trance I couldn’t come out from until the garden was completed. With Matsu’s help and patience, I had created something from the most common elements, and when the garden was finally finished I realized for the first time in my life that I had accomplished something. What I had thought would be so barren and distant was instead filled with quiet beauty.
Gail Tsukiyama, The Sumurai’s Garden
Ever consider gardening? Gardening heals as you see from Sachi above, who suffered leprosy and was shunned from her community. When my mother died, I found great contentment by working in my garden. Gardening brought me close to life, beauty and change. Or coming home from a work grind I found peace and pleasure.
The ancients built grottos and gardens into their plans because these spaces draw focus to nature and life itself. Do you find that to be true, when you take a walk through a park or a country path? Sometimes we just need space to meditate and withdraw from the world outside.I visited this scene at Kells, an ancient priory in Kilkarny, Ireland, which thrived in the 14th and 15th century. Absolute quiet pervaded my walk through Kells, with the exception of crows and sheep, which inhabit crumbling ruins. As I walked by the grotto I thought about peace gardens bring to me.
Greenery is great to enjoy after a concrete jungle day. Planting can be done without much effort and even in small spaces. As you’ve walked through stores, no doubt you’ve noted the garden sections with fresh plants and lovely pots and urns that work well if you live in an apartment or condo. Go small at first and try plants that thrive without a lot of effort. There are lots of how-to books to help make a pleasing design. Ask gardners. They thrive on giving newbies tips.
Why plant and fit a garden? This morning I read the essence of a garden's affect on me --You have bedded me down in lush meadows; you find me quiet pools to drink from. The Message
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