Stressed Out? Insight from The Round Urban Garden

It always amazes me what stepping out into nature can do to our entire being. When it feels as if just looking at a monarch butterfly wafting among the wind resets the equilibrium, it makes me question where I was prior, and how I got there. Does anyone else get this feeling? When a simple butterfly can make you think critically about things -- anything -- maybe even the mechanics of that butterfly, until, perhaps, it's time we take a step back, breathe in some good, hopefully "clean" air into our lungs, and find a hobby that adds to our purpose on this tiny blueberry in the cosmic void.

It's 2024, and the garden will be transforming soon.  In the meantime, let's face the facts. The volunteers have done an incredible job so far bringing the garden from a dirt pit to a field of green, where food has flourished and grown. That right there is enough for me to see the depths of possibility. So what of this "stress" that I spoke of earlier? Life is tough for everyone, in various ways, but as a collective, there are ways out. It's different for everyone, but what I offer is a simple solution of watching a garden grow. It doesn't have to be huge. Maybe it starts with a flower pot on your window sill, maybe even a strawberry pot that you change up to grow herbs, until one day, you see a change. For that split second, a natural smile comes over you, you take a step forward to examine, and you think, "Wow."