APRIL 18, 2006
The
number one profession, above other professions, is not practiced by professionals as much as by amateurs. Gardening is the nation's number one hobby; it is even bigger than NASCAR racing; though that is hard to believe.
Not only that, but gardening is the most important symbolic profession on the earth today.
If we believe, as I and many others do, that the earth is in trouble and that much of the environment is in need of attention, then we must find people dedicated to making the earth better. Who are those individuals dedicated to improving the quality of the Earth? In the Old Testament we are told that Adam and Eve are placed in the Garden of Eden. That is a metaphor for the earth, not a narrow band of land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in Iraq. When there, what were they told to do? Keep and preserve the garden was the very clear directive.
In other words, each human being is given an allotted time on earth and our purpose is to be good gardeners above all else. We are encouraged to till and care for the garden.
Gardening is something I do a little and my wife Katy does a lot. We have a year round vegetable garden fertilized with EcoMin Premium Blend organic all natural fertilizer. Our small plot of 400 sq. feet is a drop in the ocean of millions of acres of plants, crops and trees grown around the world, but it is our garden and we are proud of it. Getting our hands in the soil grounds us and makes us appreciative the efforts of the real gardeners taking care of the soil and producing the food we all depend on.
I am not a great promoter of large commercial operations, favoring the mom and pop stores, but the Timber Press Spring Catalogue has a bunch of wonderful gardening books. Their number is 800 327 5680 and you can find books like Medicinal Plants of the World, Uncommon Fruits for Every Garden and The Berry Grower's Companion. There are a hundred different books to choose from.
Even a window box, planter box, or terra cotta pot can become a mini-garden. When we take care of a small garden it will also remind us to take care of the big garden. When we appreciate first hand how the sun, water, soil, and seeds all work in harmony, then we can visualize how this might happen in the entire world.
Happy troweling - I don't think that's a verb, but enjoy growing in your own garden and your life will be transformed.
--Peter