Paying attention—really paying attention—to the small or everyday things, can bring wonder, joy and happiness into our lives. The garden is a perfect place to cultivate this type of awareness and mindfulness. Every time I lift the face of a flower to see its symmetry and complexity, I am awed and fully grounded in the moment. The same is true when I’m pulling barb-like needles from my two giant sequoias from Barney’s (my adorable golden retriever) fur. This quote from an interview with Thich Nhat Hanh, a Buddhist monk, in the March issue of O Magazine spoke to my desire to nurture happiness in my life (I took the liberty of inserting “gardening” in lieu of “walking” as it was printed in the article):
“As you [garden], you touch the ground mindfully and every step can bring you solidity and joy and freedom. Freedom from your regret concerning the past, and freedom from your fear about the future.
“Practice mindful [gardening] in order to heal ourselves because [gardening] like that really relieves our worries, the pressure, the tension in our body and in our mind.”
Reflect on the beauty of the present moment and find ways to make gardening—even the simplest task—a mindful act. Ommmmmm.
“As you [garden], you touch the ground mindfully and every step can bring you solidity and joy and freedom. Freedom from your regret concerning the past, and freedom from your fear about the future.
“Practice mindful [gardening] in order to heal ourselves because [gardening] like that really relieves our worries, the pressure, the tension in our body and in our mind.”
Reflect on the beauty of the present moment and find ways to make gardening—even the simplest task—a mindful act. Ommmmmm.
Lovely quote quote from Thich Nhat Hanh, and how perfectly it translates to the practice of gardening. I would go a step further in saying it can also describe our connection with nature in general, even if when we're not gardening (working), but just 'being' in nature. Thanks!
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