Gardening comes with a lot of recurring, never-ending tasks that have the potential to take up a considerable amount of time, such as watering and keeping enthusiastic plants from taking over. It is easy for these jobs to take the joy out of gardening; what was an exciting or relaxing activity as a new gardener becomes repetitive and rote as the garden advances in years.
Recently, on a Saturday morning, I had the last few tasks to do in the garden before winter really set in. I was battling with procrastination, but the sad state of the yard wore away my avoidance of doing the work. An early snowfall finished off the remainder of my autumn flowering plants, and some of the more sensitive perennials needed covering. All simple jobs that really would take less time than I took procrastinating from doing them.
As I was tearing out the strong and stubborn roots of the Marigolds from their containers, I found myself relaxing and just enjoying the process. This experience was a good reminder of how soothing the act of gardening can be. Instead of treating this just as an item to check off my to-do list, I took my time, thoroughly knocking the excess soil off the roots and loosening up the packed dirt in the container for the spring. I just let myself find joy in the feel of the dirt, re-engaging with my original intent of starting a gardening habit.
I started my garden work that day with a ‘just do it and get it over with’ mindset, and I unintentionally finished with a sense of peace and accomplishment. In the end, I was glad that I made myself get out there and do it rather than put it off for another day. While I would like to think that this will be something I learn from and procrastinate on garden tasks less, in reality, like my garden, it is something that I will grow into over time.
The Heron and Rose 