Me Time: Cultivate Joy

ME TIME: CULTIVATE JOY

By SUE OLSON

Let’s stroll a bit. Oh, don’t worry about your shoes. Barefoot in the gardens brings us connection with the earth. How do you cultivate joy? I find it in my gardens. Come, let’s take a peek. After all, the garden gate is always open.

Be where your feet are (present). Leave your thoughts and cares behind as you marvel in the moment. Can you hear the birds chirping in the background? I found a hummingbird nest just the other day that had blown in with the wind. Tiny, and ever so sweet, it was a marvel in engineering for such petite creatures. I just heard a chipmunk rustling in the ravine. Those holes in my garden walls tell me they have made themselves at home there as well. Surely, they are off adventuring with the promise of returning to the cozy abundance of my gardens for a bit of “refreshment” and respite. The rabbits do that too. Did you catch my half smile?

Joy is essential to building a healthy, meaningful life. I have found joy in nurturing my gardens over the last 26 years. It started as an empty palette with an overgrown garden bed right in the center of the backyard. I had no idea what was in there, so I gave it a year to watch and wait. I found treasures that I still have a quarter of a century later and other things that simply had to go. Today I have gardens covering most of our property with fresh ideas always at the back of my mind.

I seek constant color throughout the seasons and relative ease of care as the gardens have grown. After all, there are only so many hours in the day. I think of my gardens as an artist would using color, texture and repetition. Perennials, annuals, vegies; all have their place.

Did you see the finch flit by? If you look closely, you will see its nest filled with eggs in that tree hydrangea over there. Did you hear the soft buzz of the bees on their favorite flowers? Smell the heavy perfume of the lilies?

Joy is easily found when the gardens explode in a riot of colorful blooms. The clematis? The peonies? My dad and family before had them in their gardens. Both are a must for me. Tradition. Those traditions were honed in my youth as I sat quietly watching my father find his joy in gardening just as the generations before him had done. Just over there you might notice a piece of my motherin-law’s white bleeding heart; a gift from dear friends when they bought their first home 67 years ago. Tradition.

My gardens are my safety net. I go there to find solace when the world gets hard. When I was diagnosed with cancer, I threw myself into my gardens before my surgery knowing that I may not get to them as I normally would that summer.

This was April just as things were coming to life. Out of nowhere (remember it was April in Minnesota) a butterfly landed on me. That butterfly persisted until it really got my attention landing and flitting and landing again. The takeaway? In that moment I realized that I was going to be ok. Nature sent a messenger to set my mind and heart at ease.

Let’s wander over there and rest in the shade. That pew is from my husband’s home church. Let’s sit a while and let nature give us a show.

Live every day like it’s your first. In the small quiet moments, you might just find your butterfly. ■

Sue Olson is a lifelong gardener, cancer survivor and Parkinson’s THRIVER. She is happily married to Dr. Bob Olson, Mankato Clinic psychiatrist. They are blessed with two children, a son and daughter-in-law, and a growing crew of grandchildren who they adore!