I recently told a friend of all the work I do in the garden on a daily to a weekly basis like turning each compost pile weekly, water the vegetables weekly now that we’re entering winter, and prune things that are getting unruly. “That’s a lot of work,” she said.
“Yes,” I replied, “but worth it.” The conversation ended right there. I think I may have turned her off on gardening. Yes, it’s a lot of work to keep up but I’m at peace with it. I’m at peace with the work because I’ve found peace in the garden. Even now, I still go out each day to check on things and almost always end up noticing new things like the lettuce seedlings are getting bigger and a strawberry runner has rooted itself in the soil. It’s fun to find little surprises like this, especially in December.
This might be my current definition of peace, but long ago, my definition of peace was different. Searching through my archive, I found a #SundayStills from December 2023, in which I wrote about the same topic. Yes, I still enjoy a good hike but I think I enjoy watching my plants grow more, like a mom watching her kid grow up. A plant parent, I like to call myself, although I wouldn’t say no to leaving the garden for a few hours to head up the mountain for a peaceful retreat from civilization.
For SundayStills
This is Another Story 
I believe we all find peace in any hobby or leisure pastime we enjoy. Happy Holidays!
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I believe that, too. Happy Holidays! 🙂
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I love cycling. It gives me freedom and an opportunity to explore small things around us.
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Gardening is definitely one of the best ways to find peace, in which you are doing great 👍
And taking a hike on those trails, on such a lovely day, is something I wish to do everyday 🙂
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Thank you and I agree. Gardening is quite peaceful once you find the rhythm.
I think hiking takes fitness. I can probably do a hike every weekend but not everyday.
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very beautifull picture 👍
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Thank you.
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Ive always wanted to have a food garden at home, but was deterred with the “work” it might be, reading your posts, its just feels so natural to you! Inspiring for me – thank you!
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Thank you. I find the hardest part to be finding the space to put all the plants and there are times when I’ve felt very overwhelmed by the work but overall, I think prioritization is the key and sometimes, one just has to do take it easy.
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This is what I was worried of, feeling over whelmed. Im glad I didn’t attempt to do it this year.
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You have inspired me to make have a garden my next project. I always wanted one, but resources were not available.
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Hi Debra, I am glad to be of inspiration. I think the most important thing to start a garden is good soil full of life for plants. I’ve seen people just put down a thick layer of cardboard and dump several bags of soil to start a garden. I wish you the best of luck and happy new year. 😊
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I used to have a nice vegetable garden and a beautiful flower garden, but since we had to divide the land among the family, I had to get rid of everything and now there’s no space left to plant or grow my vegetables. ☹️
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Looks wonderful! Thank you for sharing!
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Oh, this is beautiful. This looks like somewhere I could become one with nature and just be at peace. I inhaled deeply then exhaled peacefully when I saw these two pictures. There’s something….calming about them.
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Peace is the greatest thing we can give ourselves as the New Year approaches.
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Beautiful post!
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