"Doing what you love is the cornerstone of having abundance in your life." -Wayne Dyer
One of the challenges that has been posed to me, during the course of my evening escapes to commune with one of my best friends and spiritual sister, has been to offer up some examples of abundance in my life. At the time, I was able to come up with a few areas that were "good enough" examples for a point in my life in which everything seemed like a struggle. I don't think at that time though, I really had felt that spiritual connection to abundance and how it could really manifest in my life. Recently, I would have to say, that's changed. Hold on to your knickers, this gets very exciting for me.
About a week ago, a friend of mine created an event on Facebook. She's a rather savvy person when it comes to how she chooses to utilize that social media monster, putting it's potentially radical powers of letting everyone know your every move to good use as a way to organize and build some community among her friends, whom all happen to be interested in some form of gardening. Being a fairly wise earth goddess in her own right, this event was designed as a way that her friends could meet each other, and make use of some extra seedlings that didn't really fit in the garden. Mostly, she didn't want to see her gorgeous new tomato seedlings come to a bitter end after having nurtured them from seed to transplant stage. Who can blame her? It takes a lot of work and an equal amount of love to nurture something so fragile from the very beginnings of life, not to mention the waste of perfectly good tomato producing potential.
Being fairly new and sort of clumsy with gardening, I've pestered her from time to time for advice, resulting (to my joy) inclusion in her gardening group, and also an invitation to this seedling swap. Now, to be clear I'd not planted a single seed this year. My garden is in facts still in the foundational stages due to some financial challenges. I had only just started to sort out how I might create my garden on a budget so tight that the couch is threatening to send in the muscle if I don't pay back the change I found in the cushions. I accepted the invitation, only after I sent her a private message, weakly confessing that I had nothing to share. I was told to "come anyway and get some tomato plants."
Shortly after deciding to attend this lovely gathering of women and plants, I wandered outside and started to look around my yard. I didn't have any seedlings, but I realized I had some rhubarb that I know will spread and populate as much space as it can. It also transplants easily, and was shared with me by a member of my SCA group last year. Maybe, maybe someone would want some of that. Hey! Cool! I looked around a bit more. That yarrow I planted last year, came back. It was also shared with me by the lady I got the rhubarb from. Holy cats, is it ever growing tall and it spread out, a lot. Maybe..maybe someone would like some of that as well. Then I noticed my chocolate mint plants, they were also thriving and spreading like no one's business, and my lillies, and hostas too! Excited that I did have something to potentially contribute, I rushed back to the computer and offered up these glorious plants that had all returned this spring. I was able to share with this little group of women, some happy rhubarb, some tall and fragrant chocolate mint, and some brilliant orange lillies, in exchange for several tomato plants at least some of which are heirloom varieties, a bleeding heart plant, black-eyed Susans, beans, tarragon, a new fern for between my hostas, and some native irises which will arrive at some point next week.
It gets better, I've been really wanting to create an awesome space in my backyard, but finances have been way to tight for me to be able to purchase more than a starter plant here and there this year. All of these gorgeous plants were FREE. Looking around at what I already have, I could easily thin out my hostas, lillies, and yarrow by spreading them to different spots in my yard. The irises will look great mixed in with the lillies. More free plants! Oh, and there's a hollyhock growing against the corner of the house, I think it's multiplied. I think I can move it as well. Then I realized the lilacs really need to be thinned and moved about. More free fragrant flowers! I can also share with my best friend, who would like to increase her lilac population. ABUNDANCE, ABOUNDS! Yep, it doesn't take much to make me as happy as, Jack Sparrow with a secret stash of rum and his favorite ship.
Now, I have all these plants, I need some way to create the garden I had hoped for this year. I'd been researching how to do all of this on the cheap. Apparently, the key is to be near a place that throws their pallets out for people to take. I've been stalking just such a place. That's right stalking, I've been stalking that wood pile for over a year now, swearing I was going to somehow find a way to use those pallets. They are now participating in what I am referring to as "Hammer Therapy." Hammer Therapy is the process of removing the center slats of the pallets, and alleviating my pent up aggression, (of which there is a good bit), by smacking those suckers out with a hammer. It's a decent work out. It makes me feel empowered and happy; and it provides me with free raised beds for my garden.
Abundance, surrounds me. I find it in the woods these days as I forage for wild foods and medicinal herbs. I find it in the ability to endure that makes my family so resilient. I find it in the sweet delight of uncovering a new piece to our family tree. I find it in the unconditional love and quick forgiveness visible in the depths of the eyes of my children. I find it in the bonds formed between a 4 year old boy as he naps flopped on the couch using a patient and gentle pit bull for a pillow. I find it in my backyard, looking around for a way to fit in, for a way to contribute. It was there, and in recognizing that it is there, it allows me the opportunity to be resourceful in how I work with my surroundings, and with my own ability to create more abundance for myself and the people I love.
Sometimes it takes a bit of resourcefulness to uncover it, or a moment of looking at it from outside the box, but abundance is most assuredly there; and I am truly blessed.
Welcome to my blog. I know, it seems backwards, and at times it will be very much like a conversation with well, with some one quite unaccustomed to caffeine after a mocha with a triple shot of esspresso. Other times, it will be much more like a walk in the woods, peaceful and soothing. I sort of flow where ever the spirits takes me. I hope you enjoy your visit and return soon.
-Blessed Be!
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