Time To Reflect
October 2020 by Shelley Corey, Owner of The Mum Farm
2020 will always be a year we remember. So many ups and downs, so very many changes, the anxiousness never waned, that is unless you spent time gardening. Tending to plants helps you focus on the here and now, reminding us that no matter what else is going on in our lives, our plants still need our attention, they keep growing, they need us! Yes, children are the same, but they eventually grow up to be independent of us. Gardening keeps us young, it gives us something to pour our attention into. Rewards abound with colorful flowers, leaves, fruits and vegetables for us to admire and eat!
Many customers have come in this past month beaming with pride when they tell me about their childrens' first garden. Many share that they grew some of their own tomatoes, herbs, peppers. One budding horticulturalist returned to the farm, recalling how he remembered coming to the farm with his Grandmother when he was a young boy. He couldn’t remember the name of my business, but remembered driving up a big hill! Oh, the things that leave marks in our memory! Now as a senior, he’s grown a garden of his own. I know his Grandmother would be so proud of him! Gardening is one of life's lessons that need to be passed down from generation to generation.
I also had a very young girl visiting with her grandmother who wandered off and found my tomato plants overloaded with tomatoes. She picked one very large green one and came to her grandmother and said "Look what I found! What is it?” I don’t think she knew that tomatoes grew on plants! One thing that this year is teaching us is what truly is important in life. The small things that we used to take for granted…a smile, a hug, a ripe tomato.
As this amazing summer comes to an end and we all head back indoors, remember to reach out to people that enter your thoughts. Call them, let them know they are in your thoughts. There are many, many kind people out there. I myself am surrounded by them…always willing to help me with whatever I need on any given day. I hope I am always able to give back to them.
Well, this didn’t really turn into an article on gardening, but the message is important. The simple act of gardening gave lots of people hope through this year. It helped them forget about all the misery that bombarded us on television. It kept us grounded. Whether it was flowers or vegetables they helped us to smile, which sometimes under our masks we forget to do! Gardeners are always hopeful, so we’ll all stay hopeful for a better season next year.