My Moment of Zen — Deck Gardening

Breathe . . .

I come by it honestly enough, I suppose. My parents grew plants both indoors and out throughout their lives. After retirement, my dad produced a modest vegetable garden in his very small inner-city yard. We were able to enjoy fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and, one year, an overabundance of pumpkins.

There was an element of the earth in their blood. Tending the soil, and what grows in it, was a part of my heritage.

By many standards, my indoor house plants are shining examples of a vibrant, healthy botanical display. Orchids are in bloom on a regular basis. The African Violet has finally found its home on the proper window sill (African Violets tend to be a bit particular about where they will prosper); it produces a burst of purple blossoms almost continuously. Many plants get too big for their britches and have to be transplanted into larger dwellings regularly — a sign of good plant health.

So, it was only natural for me to take the show on the road (or at least out the back door), and bring my green thumb outdoors and onto my deck.

I first, I did it for the beauty — and the feeling of victory and skill when a tiny begonia, planted in the spring by me, burst into a glorious display of fuchsia and red by mid-summer.

Then I did it for the sense of seclusion it brought. It is the additional room to my house that I sadly relinquish in the late fall when summer sun turns to winter gloom. The deck is off to the side of our house, with two sides facing wooded area where my husband has so carefully produced a forest paradise of Giant Arborvitae trees, juniper bushes, boxwood bushes and assorted planters and hanging baskets — all for my personal pleasure, or so I would like to believe. I can sit amongst the blossoms without being aware of the goings on inside my kitchen or generally seeing any form of humanity outside my home.

In this luxurious space, I can be found (for those who might seek to find me) reading, writing, sipping a glass of wine, or simply breathing. . .

It is here that I find my moment of Zen.

It is here where my mind clears itself of any of the craziness life throws my way. The world may twist and turn all around me — but here, in my sanctuary, war, pestilence, political calamity, disease, and disgruntled humans of every ilk are not welcome.

It is here, for a few minutes or a few hours, it is good.

***

In the past, I would never have identified myself as being super outdoorsy. My career kept me confined to an office and four walls. Time spent out of that environment was spent, usually by necessity, dealing with the basic maintenance of life. Being outdoors during those years usually meant weekend day trips or vacations — all away from any close proximity to the inside or outside of my home.

Now, the lure of my deck pulls me into this fresh space — early in the spring until late in the fall — and I am quite content.

And, sometimes I even have a friend to share a few moments.

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