Physical Therapy.....

As a child I was fortunate to have grandparent's that loved to garden. On my father's side my grandpa and grandma had a huge vegetable garden, and on my mother's side my grandfather grew over 10,000 plants from seed every year. His yard was filled with flowers, people would drive by slowly to take it all in. He won numberous awards, and everything he touched thrived. He also had an enormous willow tree that I ran through and pretended it was my kingdom. Somewhere without knowing it the garden gene was included in my DNA. When we first bought our home in the city, the yard was nice, and the perrenial beds old. Since then we have torn out, rebuilt, added, and transplanted all those gardens. I love my city garden because it offers me tranquility in the midst of chaos. Much like sobriety does. Last summer when my drinking was at it's deepest I even stepped away from my yard. I let the gardens have weeds, didn't bother dead heading any of the plants, it took all my energy just to water the flowers. I was rejecting one of my greatest loves. What once was a passion had turned into just one more chore, one more thing that needed me and frankly I was worn out. Last night I came home from work, the kids were at a friend's house and I worked in those flowerbeds till dark. For once I worked at a slow pace. Enjoying just being outside, smelling the rich soil of spring, listening to the birds, talking to my neighbor who lives behind me that is expecting their second child in five weeks. Hearing the excitment and anticipation in his voice. My faithful Bichon Jack stayed at my side the whole time I worked. I lovingly looked for buds, signs of growth, and cleaned out dead leaves, pine needles, and other miscellaneous leftovers from winter. After I picked up the kids I took a long bath. By the time I crawled into bed, my muscles were reminding me that I hadn't used them in a while. I read a bit, said my prayers and sighed a sigh of contentment. I had spent a few hours of physical therapy in my yard and in return my soul was fed, my body tired, and my gratitude for God and nature overflowing.....