Last year's gardenThe garden is mostly my thing. I plan it out, sketch ideas, buy the seeds or seedlings, and direct the entire process.My husband tills while the kids trudge out and help rake, plant and water…some of them grumble and mutter the whole time, aggravated to be working when they could be playing. They even hate to help spread out sheets of newspaper on the damp soil and scatter wads of leaves and grass clippings on top of it to control weeds. That extra step after planting annoys them; they don’t appreciate how much time and effort it saves later when the weeds are kept to a minimum.In spite of the labor-resistant attitudes, I bring the kids out with me year after year to put in the vegetable garden. I insist, because weeks or months later, they will be eating the fruit of their labor. I want them to experience the process from start to finish—to take some ownership of the carrots and cucumbers they enjoy slicing up for lunch and dinner. I hope to inspire the picky eater to reconsider tomatoes and green beans simply because she’s helped put them in the ground.If nothing else, I think it’s good to work together as a family, to learn what will grow in our garden and what won’t, and to get our fingers dirty.That’s what Seth Haines says, too. He recently took his kids to a community garden to plant cabbage. In the lovely video included with his post, Seth says he’s trying to teach his boys responsibility. It’s easy, he says, for the boys to “go a long time without getting their hands dirty…This is what we were made to do. We were made to get our fingers dirty and eat by the toil of our hands.”Our family needs to get out and till soon. It’s already time to plant peas and lettuce. We’ve been inside a lot this winter working behind desks, out of touch with God’s creation.It’s time to plant.It’s time to grow.It’s time to get our fingers dirty.
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This post is part of Charity’s THC community-building project, “There & Back Again.”
I went to TheHighCalling.org member Seth Haines’ blog and read his post “A Community Garden,” which inspired me to write something of my own.Each Thursday, consider going “There and Back Again” yourself. It’s simple.Here are Charity’s steps:
Choose another High Calling Blogger to visit. It can be someone you have “met” before, or do what I do, and work your way through the “Member Posts” section of thehighcalling.com to meet someone new.
Visit his blog, digesting the message until it becomes something that you can write about.
Go back to your blog and write about it, being sure to link to the post that gave you the idea so that your readers can visit, too.
Add the button to your blog so your readers know you are participating in “There and Back Again.”
Go back to the Network blog and leave a comment so your new friend can feel the link love!
Complete the journey by returning here, to Wide Open Spaces, and enter your link so that we all can benefit from the new High Calling connection you have made.
With over 30 years as a writing coach, multi-published author, and speaker with a top 1% ranked podcast, Ann Kroeker has helped hundreds of authors achieve their writing goals. You can refine your skills, pursue publishing, establish your online presence, and expand your reach with Ann's support in her signature group program, Book-Ready Writers. Nonfiction writers eager to level up and advance their careers will find the confidence and support they need with Ann Kroeker as their writing coach, book coach, and platform coach.
7 thoughts on “There & Back Again: Time to Get our Fingers Dirty”
Amber and I struggle with the winter, too. All of us cooped up in heated spaces, dreaming about the great outdoors. There is something that feels real about getting dirt under your fingernails, something nostalgic about working as community or family. I feel like I don’t do it enough so I have to seize every opportunity.
I love how your family has created this opportunity. I’m glad to know you have your own piece of good earth to till. It seems incredibly fitting, a “slow down solution” of sorts. It’s good to see you living out what you teach. Keep on living and writing. This is a good space.
Ann, I can’t wait to get my hands dirty, too. There really is something wonderful about pushing aside dirt, gently pressing in seeds, covering them over and watering them. If it’s not snowing this weekend, I think I am going to plant some peas and lettuce. My indoor lettuce from the winter if fairly stunted, but I am going to experiment by putting that in the ground too.
Oh, and I was such a grumbler as a child, too. There is hope!
Ann,
This is lovely, and I am humbled.
Amber and I struggle with the winter, too. All of us cooped up in heated spaces, dreaming about the great outdoors. There is something that feels real about getting dirt under your fingernails, something nostalgic about working as community or family. I feel like I don’t do it enough so I have to seize every opportunity.
I love how your family has created this opportunity. I’m glad to know you have your own piece of good earth to till. It seems incredibly fitting, a “slow down solution” of sorts. It’s good to see you living out what you teach. Keep on living and writing. This is a good space.
Yes, it is a slow-down solution. The time spent in spring pays off later when we run out to the garden for salad fixin’s. 🙂
Thank you for the encouragement–the same to you, friend.
Oh… and I think I’ll take a shot at this Wide Open Space thing. Great idea!
Please do! Charity is great about encouraging us to get to know others in the THC.org network!
I remember some kids who used to grumble about helping in the garden….
That gives me hope! After all, here I am, former grumbler, determined to plant a garden each spring!
Ann, I can’t wait to get my hands dirty, too. There really is something wonderful about pushing aside dirt, gently pressing in seeds, covering them over and watering them. If it’s not snowing this weekend, I think I am going to plant some peas and lettuce. My indoor lettuce from the winter if fairly stunted, but I am going to experiment by putting that in the ground too.
Oh, and I was such a grumbler as a child, too. There is hope!