YARD WORK AND SERENITY

People find serenity in so many different ways. Some find it in meditation, AA meetings, church, prayer or some other ways. I find my serenity working out in the yard. A friend once told me she enjoyed yard work because she liked the outcome of her work in the yard. I feel the same way and I enjoy yard work for the peace and tranquility that is all a part of serenity. It does my heart good to have an idea about the yard and then put it into action and have it come to fruition. Also planting a tree or bush and having it grow into something beautiful. I love seeing the birds flying through the trees or making a nest in the trees that I have planted. It's all about the nature of things for me. Here are some of the examples of my serenity work in the yard.


At one time we had a serenity garden in one corner of our yard that I put in. It was blocked off by lattice and beautiful wooden posts. It had a swing with a top on it and it had a butterfly bush and a beautiful yellow rose bush. I put one of those black small hard rubber ponds in the center of the serenity garden. I was planning on putting fish in the pond but ended up putting potted plants all along the inside of it. Kathy and I both sat in the swing and read our meditation books and drank our coffee. My friend Sue, God rest her soul, would come over and we would sit in the swing and talk about life. We would have friends over and each one of them would sit on that swing and chat with one another.  We no longer have the serenity garden because the swing finally gave out. We now have a compost in the pond with lattice surrounding it. All in all there are good memories belonging to the serenity garden.


A few years ago I went with a friend to a nursery and picked out a cork screw willow and planted it next to the gazebo at our deck. That cork screw willow brought us so much serenity and peace. It also grew higher than our house and it was beautiful. Over the years we had many birds nests and many birds flying through it or landing on limbs and singing.  Such a calmness and tranquility about all this. A couple of years ago we had a tornado here in Raleigh and the tornado went right over our house and took down the cord screw willow. It was a sad day for us but the root ball was still in one piece and the tree was still alive. So we decided to keep the fallen cork screw willow as long as possible. We had friends to bring different objects to place in the fallen cork screw willow. We put lights in the fallen cork screw willow. It was like an enchanted garden. The fallen cork screw willow slowly began to die a couple of weeks ago and the time came to cut up the fallen cork screw willow.  As I took the chain saw to it I said my goodbyes. I also saved some of the limbs and placed them in different places in the yard for the Budster to jump over. I also saved the root ball and the main body of the tree where it arches so the Budster can run under it or climb on it.


So now with the fallen cork screw willow gone there is so much more yard for me to work in and there are so many possibilities for me to put into action and make them come to fruition. A friend of ours gave us a couple of trees and a butterfly bush along with a mum to plant in our yard. That I did today. I also planted some grass seed where the fallen cork screw willow was. So you see my yard work and serenity are never ending for me because it does my heart, body and soul good to dig in the dirt and plant trees and bushes. This is all a part of my serenity and that will never change. All of us should have some way to have serenity. It is time to find what yours is and if you have found it make keep on doing whatever it is.

These are my thoughts and feelings from Jillsville.