10 Things About Life I Learned From My Garden

Moving from Manhattan to Sydney, I decided that what I needed was some space. A little house…a little courtyard…a little…garden? Never mind the fact that I’m known to have an extraordinarily brown thumb. I forget to water…I over-water. I’m either overly attentive, or completely neglectful. I’m a Scorpio…middle ground is sometimes hard!

I wanted a place to relax…to find some peace. And I mean, really…how hard could it be?!

Through some trial & tribulation, along with a few tutoring sessions from willing gardeners in the neighborhood; my courtyard went from a concrete block; to a haven of peaceful tranquility. Zen! My baby plants took over whole walls…my basil grew to massive proportions…my dwarf lemon tree produced it’s first lemon…and I learned a lot along the way. Not just about gardening, but about life.

Here are 10 things my garden taught me about life, in no particular order:

Lots of water and sunlight are an incredibly potent combination.
Sometimes, if you just let things go…and let life just happen…you’ll come back to something unexpected and amazing.
There are times when you have to accept the fact that something is simply not going to work, no matter how hard you try. And that’s okay – because something else will…and it will flourish.
You can ignore things for awhile…and it’s healthy to do so. But you still need to pay attention so you know when to step in if needed.
There are times when you need to cut back – a lot – in order to set things up in a new direction and grow even more.
Patience – it’s worth it in the end!
Not everything responds the same way to the same things. Everything has it’s own uniqueness.
Even if something looks hopeless..don’t give up too soon. It might just be waiting things out a season.
Enjoy beauty while it’s there – it’s fleeting. But don’t despair when it goes away, as it will come back. Trust in that…
If you don’t take care and trim and prune from time to time…things will get out of control. You have to cull the old to make way for the new.

I’m back to not having my own place – yet. But when I do, you’d better believe there will be a garden…even if it’s a tiny one in the middle of a city.