Whew! 2020 is finally in hindsight! I know, I know – I can hear the groaning. I just couldn’t resist saying that.
This past year has definitely been a time of growth. And I’m not just talking about our plants and kids. At the Garden, as in our daily life, we needed to acquire new ways of operating. We learned about sanitizing, social distancing, face masking, and man, we got good at video conferencing! A year ago, most of these terms were not even in our vocabulary.
One of the ways many of us are coping with being cooped up at home is going back to some simple pleasures. As much as going to the theatre, shopping, hanging out with friends, etc. is missed, there is joy to be found in a lot of low or no cost homebound activities. Still, even these can offer some level of frustration and leave one looking for more satisfaction. Many years ago, I read a great book, that I believe is still relevant today. “Who Moved My Cheese” by Spencer Johnson is a parable about some mice and little people who live in a maze and are searching for the cheese. It’s living in a life of change.
As many gardeners and artists have experienced, often our greatest creativity emerges out of challenges, changes, and obstacles. When I plant something new, I research what amount of light, water, soil type, and space is required. I consider the existing colours and shapes nearby and how it will look all together. Other times, someone may have gifted me a plant or maybe I got an amazing deal but don’t have extra time in my schedule, so I just toss it in the ground and see how it goes. The funny thing is even when I’ve done all the right things, my well thought out plant may still wither from winter kill and amazingly, the tossed in surprise plant flourishes. Who knew? These varying results sharpen our interest and keeps us gardeners planting and experimenting.
I also enjoy card making. This usually involves long hours surfing Pinterest for ideas, looking at all my paper, stamps, embellishments, and thinking about the person who will receive this card. (Speedy card making is not my forte.) Rarely do my cards turn out the same as the example I’ve followed or how I envisioned them. Plus, I quite regularly make boo boos. The cool thing is that, lots of times, my fixes end up really improving the results.
Then, there’s reading a good book. I will look through the library (currently, that would be the website) reading the summaries to find just what interests me. Recently, I joined a book club. Some of the monthly book choices are ones I would never have chosen on my own. Yet, there has always been something to enjoy in each book I read.
My point in these examples is that my expectations and reality seldom match up. However, through each experience, I have learned or observed something new. I’m using that growth mindset to see the positives in this upside-down time. We are going to grow stronger, brighter, and even more creative. Look out 2021.
Wishing everyone wonderful wings to carry you through the year!
Laurie Vanderwal
Vice President
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