Revived

"I grow plants for many reasons: to please my eye or to please my soul, to challenge the elements or to challenge my patience, for novelty or for nostalgia, but mostly for the joy in seeing them grow."-unknown

I visited the garden this morning for my last post.  Still, nothing out of the ordinary, no huge growth or surprising appearance, but then again, thats not what I was expecting.  I have come to terms with the way mother nature paces herself in terms of growth and gardening and throughout this entire experience, I truly have gained an appreciation for patience.  I sat back looking at the plot, called my parents to update them on the progress and just breathed in the cooler Bethlehem air.  Last night I wrote about how many new friendships I have formed around this project and today I will write a little more about the new relationship I have formed with myself throughout this process.  As stated several times, I am not the most patient person.  I have adapted to this new fast paced life that consumes Lehigh and all of the students attending and I have become somewhat anxious with little down time for myself.  Aside from all the wonderful friendships I have made and the garden lessons I have learned, I think that I have found one place that works for me to escape my student life and have an outer body experience.  Hiding in my room for peace and quiet, going for a run to get away and other forms of disappearing seem to work, but not exactly how the garden has for me.  I have had so much self reflection here and I think part of why this plot has become so important to me is because I feel like the plants count on me, or count on us.  Obviously Mother Nature monitors the course they take with growth, but it is nice to feel like someone is dependent on me for some TLC sometimes, not just homework help, to go out and have a good time, or a teammate seeking advice.  The garden does not talk back.  The garden listens.  Not necessarily to anything I saw aloud, but it is almost as if my thoughts are spelled out in the air with a mutual understanding for quiet time... sometimes the only peaceful time in my day.  I feel like an old soul, wandering to the garden sometimes to get away and just sitting, listening to my ipod, or sitting in silence, but then after, I always feel so much better... so revived.  This project has slowed down my anxiety of always preparing for the next part of my day and has made me realize that just because there is no large result, that does not mean that under the surface, something isn't brewing.  The garden has provided me with a place of simplicity, a place for self reflection and understanding and a community meeting place for socialization.  I am so pleased that I will be able to continue the upkeep into the summer months and long after into next year and I hope that when those graduating return, they come say hello to their old friends.  I would not have wanted to end my senior year any other way then helping with this plot and I hope that future classes have the opportunity to experience what I have.