For today, I will leave our current crises unnamed. But we have all felt the affects of this - odd half year – as it has run on, prompting widespread, dynamic change in all our lives.
As the world continues to shift under our feet by the global unrest, we continue to find ways to stay upright.
Wave after wave, many of us have no choice but to adjust our lives and continue marching forward. Social distancing and stuck at home finding projects, chores and interests to stay busy.
There are lessons to be learned from our elders. For years I have heard stories about my grandmother’s green thumb.
Her ability to resurrect forsaken plants, seemingly creating life where others thought there was none.
And as often as I have heard these tales, I have heard my mother lament over the fact she did not seem to possess this talent.
However, in our time of quarantine, Mother Martian seems to have come into her power.
After the initial frenzy of baking, my mother turned her sights towards the greens. We began re-sprouting cut onions and leftover vegetables. A sweet potato, long forgotten, has thrown its long green tendrils into the air.
My mother lovingly heeded its call.
Typically, a plant’s life cycle in our casa was to be moved from window to window, attempting to find a decent bit of light before its inevitable decline.
Now, seedlings are lovingly prepared, taken from their casings and soaked, and gently placed into soil filled eggshell beds. The patio is covered in green, tabletops turned garden beds
Our windowsills have begun to resemble an alchemist’s lab.
Avocado pits suspended in jars of water, odd bottles and cans repurposed and restructured.
There are odd unlabeled bottles of liquid suspension, potions created to thwart any insect that may threaten my mother’s plant children.
Where did all these solutions and concoctions come from? Did she unlock the secret of her mother’s teachings in some ancient journal?
The answer is more innovative.
She has plunged into the research side of the internet.
By accessing plant tips and how to grow guides, something within herself was able to blossom.
Taking the time to invest yourself, in something you enjoy, is crucial right now.
DO YOU HAVE A HOBBY YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO TRY?
Try dipping your toes into the internet communities around those activities.
Watch some YouTube videos, follow some Instagram accounts, and let go of the voice in your head that has been holding you back.
As the plants on the patio continue to flourish, I hope to make more time to earn my own green thumb.
Not just relying on inherent talent, but by learning from both practice and research how to make my garden grow.
So what are YOU doing?
Here are some recommended Sites to Assist Your "Toe Dipping" Interests: