How Gardening Helps Me Reflect on Life and Share It with My Kids

Lately I have been getting into the garden one day a week to trim and work on the plants. The garden used to be one of my favorite places but over the past few years I wasn't getting out to garden very often and some of the plants became overgrown. My new routine is to put on a podcast and start working, before I know it several hours have passed. 

I find that I feel close to myself when I am in the dirt or up a tree with clippers. As soon as I take that first smell of bitter dirt and sharp, sweet lemons in our garden I feel grounded. 

Lately, I have been pruning our lemon trees that have become woefully overgrown. Trimming the lemons is like solving a puzzle with no answer and takes complete concentration, I trace back each branch to the main branches to see if I want to change the path or if it's growing solidly. I find this process very restorative and a direct analogy to my relationship with myself. I am paring down habits and ideas that aren't useful and making plans for the future. I don't know how the lemon tree will turn out and I don't know where I will end up but they are both a work in progress. 

As I work on the trees, I also use the time to make connections with my kids. 

Every few weeks, I will "invite" (more on that below) one of them out to do work with me. One of the tedious jobs is to cut the green waste small enough so that it fits nicely in our green bin and the space is maximized. Both of my kids enjoy using the clippers to do this. Working together on the yard is one way I share my interests with them as well as teach them the satisfaction of working with their hands.

What I mean when I say I "invite" them: This is a holdover from being a teacher, I offer a choice. They can either do some inside chore like vacuuming or dusting, work on their homework or they can come into the garden. I am happy with any of the choices they pick but of course I love it when they come outside. 

When I was a kid, we moved a few times but for many years my mom had a garden. I didn't really like working in the garden pulling weeds (who does?) but I think that those years with my mom in the sun are why I enjoy being in my own garden. She was always very proud of what she grew and I have that same pride in my plants. I hope my kids enjoy being outside when they are older. 

How are you finding joy, peach and reflection? I'd love to hear below!

I asked my husband to come take this picture of me pruning. It's staged to show off my newest tool- a pruning saw. I saw a professional gardener using one and wanted to check it out. Wow! I feel so powerful with this tool in my hands! 

Here is a picture of my lemon tree progress, we actually have two which is kind of silly for a San Francisco backyard but one came with the house and the other was a housewarming gift. It's our mini orchard. 

And here is Ralph, he always chooses to help in the garden.