story and photos by K.C. Fahy-Harvick
I grew up spending summers with my grandmother on her farm in Naples. Mostly I played in the woods all day but also spent time with her in her gardens, so I’ve been pretty well grounded all my life. My garden is now my Zen place; working in the soil, weeding and planting is like meditation. This was my grandmother’s gift to me.
While air travelers and teenagers may have a different concept of being grounded, my idea of grounding involves maintaining a connection to the actual earth. I’m lucky to have my garden business which keeps me outside in beautiful spaces with flowers, trees, birds and all the earthly delights.
Many people today have a lot of stress as they get caught up in the wild pace of the world. How you spend your time outside of work is vital to your sense of wellbeing, and how you focus your attention moment to moment is key.
Our attention has become a commodity, a resource to be purchased, and it is endangered. Some, such as Chris Hayes in his book The Siren’s Call, are even calling it “attention capitalism.” It’s no wonder that you often feel as though your mind is all over the place. How can you focus with the constant ringing, dinging, pinging and vibrating of electronic devices pulling you away from the things that might help you relax and keep you grounded?
It has always been my firm belief that gardening is one of the healthiest activities there is, both physically and mentally. It’s hard to watch tulips come out of the cold ground, a bird take a bath in a puddle or a butterfly perch on a flower while simultaneously thinking about your job, what’s for dinner or how your back aches. It’s all about where you put your priorities while managing your attention resource. There are many other activities that are relaxing such as hiking, walking through a park, going to movies, visiting museums or art galleries, taking day trips to a beautiful Finger Lake and playing a game of golf or tennis.
When designing gardens, I always go inside the home to photograph the yard from interior viewpoints, knowing full well that the homeowner won’t always have time to go outside. The view from the window over the kitchen sink is number one on my list. But the garden itself has to have a shape and plant selection to create areas that cannot be seen even from the patio chair. This design principle compels you to walk out into the garden.
Whether you have large property or just a balcony off your apartment, you can have something to help focus attention and bring you to a peaceful place. Window bird feeders, hummingbird feeders, container gardens, container water gardens, solar lights, wind chimes or even the new video bird feeders are all great ways to bring your attention back to ground.
I heard someone call gardening a “grandma hobby” (obviously a young whippersnapper). But I completely understand this viewpoint. I have a 45-year-old daughter who has a stressful, high-powered job. She’s at a desk with multiple screens, using her phone at the same time, always connected to the world swirling around her. There’s little time for gardening, relaxing or just disconnecting. Her home office looks over her back deck and a beautiful wooded lakeside setting.
Together we set up the deck with container gardens and bird feeders. Just a glance away from her computer screen, looking out over her beautiful bird sanctuary can provide grounding, slowing her pace. It seems like a small thing to do, but her enjoyment of the birds and flowers has brought me great delight.
Bird watching and gardening are good distractions that refocus our attention and take us to a peaceful place. Conserving our attention resource brings us back down to ground where we all belong. I encourage you to put down your device, put up the “Not for Sale” sign on your attention for a moment and allow yourself to completely embrace the state of being well grounded.
K.C. Fahy-Harvick is a landscape designer and sought after lecturer. Her workshops feature her love of perennials, bird gardening and water features. More about Fahy-Harvick can be found at gardeningmatters.com, Gardening Matters Facebook page, or by email at kcfh60@gmail.com.
