Gardening for the soul

We decided to plant a garden this year, both at my parents' house up north and on our bitty porch in Queens. And while we're by no means experts at gardening, our little plot is already bearing figurative fruit.


Both my husband, who is always in pain from his HVAC job, and my dad, who had a stroke two years ago and still works a super-demanding paving job, are like little kids working in that garden! They're always coming up with new ways to make it better (irrigation system, anyone?) and are so proud of the sprouting vegetables.

My mom, who actually IS a gardening expert thanks to my grandpa, has been amazing sharing all of her knowledge with us. She knows just how to pick a zucchini flower to make into an omelet and how to plant cucumbers in wide rows. And, best of all, I think doing something that her father loved to do brings back happy memories (you know, he counted all of his tomatoes so he'd know when one was stolen!).

And I am loving how close together the garden is making us.  If I had known there was so much spiritual wellness to be harvested from a garden, we would have planted one years ago!