Green Connection

Connection or connectedness comes in many different forms.

It's the common theme or desire among all religions and cultures. It is part of what makes us human, I believe. Happy, healthy individuals typically desire to belong and partake in an activity that resonates with them and fulfills the need for connection.

The obvious is organized religion, communion.

Some individuals are called to care for people and dedicate their lives to medicine. They find connecting to patients and families fulfilling.

Animals are one of my favorite sources, from shelter work and rescue to therapy dogs. The love animals provide is endless and heartwarming.

Music magically connects the artists and listeners. Then the experience of art leaves me, personally, awe-inspired.

Some simply find the connection they need through loving their family.

While I am familiar with all of the above, have experienced and lived it all, nothing can quite measure up to what I enjoy the most, Nature. Not only do I love having my hands and feet in the dirt, but it also saved me in a sense. I learned to turn to the living earth in some of my darkest moments. I may sound crazy, but I will try to make sense of it. Tending to plants, a garden, and an orchard provided a connection I learned to rely on and even understand in a way all other relationships failed me or me them.

I've literally cried tears of desperation, pain, and sorrow into the earth, and I believe she heard me. It felt like she did, at least.

I've always been drawn to gardening, I thought it might be due to my Native Heritage, and maybe it is; I'm not for sure, and I don't question it. What I do know is the more I put into gardening and orcharding, the more connected I feel. I understand now why people dedicate so much of their time and money to the church. I've become so invested I currently volunteer and sit on the board for a local non-profit farm. We feed the homeless organic fresh food. Our efforts do face hardships being volunteer-based, but just enough people show up to get it all done. It's a beautiful thing to witness. All involved find knowledge and connection on some level.

Tools are required in effective gardening efforts. Plants do harbor disease if appropriate tools and methods aren't utilized. Something to scoop, dig, and cut are the bare necessities in my experience. While there is no comparing a plant to a human, it cannot be denied; we are both living organisms. To live, there must be some sacrifice; to grow, there certainly is an element of pain.

The earth, may it be trees or plants, has a way of communicating with its kind. If one tree is struggling, surrounding trees will send nutrients; it is a way to help with survival.

It's been studied and determined some plants emit a "scream "when cut. The scream is not of pain; plants do not have nerve endings as humans do—the scream functions as a form of communication for survival. When I learned this, I stopped pinching leaves and pulling stems off. I committed to using tools with the midset of performing a medical procedure on my plants. Clean, sharp, crisp cutting shears are my criteria. So that is what I use. Fiskars tools are my go-to, from pruning tools to simple shears. When a plant needs trimmed, I grab my commonly known orange-handled shears to do my work. The quality of these tools never disappoints.

The joy comes in watching how the plants and trees respond to the pruning and trimming. If the job is done correctly, they thrive! There is pure joy in the relationship between a plant and a gardener. Even more, happiness comes with watching the faces of the ones I love as they experience the taste of the food I've grown. I am grateful beyond measure to have found the craft of gardening and beyond happy to share it with others.