I’ve had a great time these last two days and plan to have a similarly great one today, working on Sarah‘s allotment and thinking about life. I can’t remember when I last enjoyed myself so much.
To begin, I think I’d better explain my role on the allotment here. Which is maintenance and general labouring, definitely not gardening. Gardening is what Sarah does. And though we habitually call her the “Head Gardener” in fact she’s the only gardener. I’m maintenance. I have tried to learn gardening and Sarah’s tried to teach me, but the knowledge hasn’t taken. Beyond fragments like “that’s lavender, that’s a tulip, and those ones are roses“ I can’t ever identify much else. Let alone get used to the ins, outs, and horticulture of them. All of that is what Sarah knows and does, which often seems to involve her speaking horticultural Latin. Though the fact is horticultural English would be no help to me anyway.
So my role is to keep the place strimmed, tidied and garden-like for much of the year then spend the rest of my mostly leisurely time here reading. Except for a few days in each year, and these are what’s happening now, when I’m more or less given sole possession of the place to do what I most enjoy here, which is whatever Sarah’s decided will be the year’s structural works.
Gardens you see, I know this much at least, don’t just happen. Every year a good garden is a collection of choices. Some about what to grow, where, when and how, but also about what might need changing in the garden’s layout to make the place a better planting and maybe social sort of space than it was last year. Which is where the work gets passed from Sarah to me. To “move this, move that, take that up, rake that over, lay them straight, get the place ready.” Structural then. And usually my role happens early in the year before much at all has begun growing. But this year was different, because readers might remember all my ribs were broken and still healing, back then in February and March. So this year’s structural work has been happening the last two days and will this one too. And as I said, I’m loving the doing of it. Arriving here early, as I just have this morning, with coffee and music to get on with its doing.
Hours pass and changes from the list Sarah’s given me are gradually made. Muscles I don’t usually use are given a good workout. And though I’m no one’s idea of handy or skilled I’m okay. And enjoy the work. For the sake of itself but also because I’ve been on my own all this time. With hours and hours for uninterrupted thinking. Around life and spirituality it’s been. Long mulled over thoughts of how I’m happier as a solo sort of contemplator rather than the joiner-in with congregations of believers whose beliefs I can never quite share. Happier on my own, time after time. Like on these days here. Having things to do that satisfy me, time to think and listen to music while I work, stopping occasionally for coffee or something to eat.
Then somewhere in the bending, crouching, ruminating, and digging might come a moment like the one that’s happened just now, that’s got me sat down for as long as it’s taking me to write this thought. That doing this, right here and now and these last two days I’ve been perfectly happy all the time. Then gone home, still happy though tired, and slept happily too. Knowing the work’s not finished so here I am, back to continue it. With a more than good chance I’ll be happy again all day today. Perfectly at home on this little plot of earth. Living in a long moment of perfect happiness.
Maybe moments like this are what all my spiritual searching has been for?
At last...when the sun comes out and we remember the joys of being in the garden, allotment, park or wilderness, I think we tune into a sense of calm within us. This is the place we feel we are meant to be... just here, just now. In lockdown I discovered some songs by Mark Knopfler, with Emmylou Harris. An unusual blend of talents I wouldn’t usually look out for. One of my favourites has been a song called Shangri La. Not only lovely lyrics but if you catch it being played live on YouTube, you’ll see an example of a group of musicians playing without ego and complimenting each other beautifully. Enjoy your allotment and all the joy it brings!
That’s a beautiful song, thank you. Would be at home on his album with Emmylou, which I love. And this was another shangrila of a day too.