Healthy Living for the Soul

SPRING FEVER

Thinking about gardening or desiring replacement plants after being hit by the winter freeze? Visit DeLand’s Wildflower and Garden festival on March 26th. Check out the vendors and educational programs.

As a child, I loved spending time in the gardens tended by my mother, grandmother and aunts. They seemed the happiest among their vegetables and flowers. We harvested berries, figs, beans, corn, cucumbers and tomatoes for canning and pickling. I didn’t know how special that time was until it was too late. My family gardeners are gone. Mama used to say, “It’s not just the flowers, it’s the hours spent working in the soil that helps you.” In the garden we can experience healing from sorrow and concerns about tomorrow. Many of us become gardeners after suffering a loss. Perhaps we have learned the solace, comfort, and faith we feel in knowing that we can help nurture life.

Each month I have the opportunity to interview gardeners for DeLand Garden of the Month; two recent recipients were both over eighty years old. They expressed their joy of being outdoors and benefiting from gardening. One mentioned that he had no idea how difficult it was for a butterfly to go through its life cycle. Perhaps that is one of the benefits; we observe struggle as part of nature. Caterpillars and butterflies have predators, difficult food conditions, as well as the threat of pesticides and development destroying their habitat. If a plant doesn’t have the right soil combination and moisture it withers and dies. We too need to nourish ourselves. We become closer to the symbiotic relationship of all life when we are outdoors. Urban sprawl encroaches not only on our way of life but also the source of our breath, as trees provide us with oxygen. And of course, we need pollinators; they are necessary in contributing to our food supply.

Consider gardening or being out in nature as your green therapy. Spending time outdoors has many benefits. We can experience the effects of color as we observe harmonious greens. The color yellow in the flowers and butterflies offers an emotional stimulator; blue is calming, and red contributes enthusiasm, warmth, energy. Enjoy a color walk outdoors and focus on what you see and feel.

Studies reveal that being in the sunshine improves sleep, reduces inflammation, and stimulates the functioning of organs. Bathing in morning sunlight gives the benefit of vitamin D; spending time outdoors improves wellbeing and regulates heart health by synchronizing your heartbeat, reduces stress and may add to longevity. Our green spaces help us to connect with life and its vitality. Grounding is a way to connect energetically. Remove your shoes and feel the earth below. Take deep relaxing breaths and do what resonates with you; pray, meditate, relax.

For gardening support, contact your local garden club or the UF/IFAS Master Gardener program. Enjoy this springtime and healthy living for your soul.

Cheryl Floyd, Speaker/Storyteller and Heal your Life® Coach. Cheryl Floyd is a graduate of East Tennessee State University’s Master Storytelling program Her career includes over thirty years in education, publishing, life coaching, public speaking, and storytelling. www.cherylfloyd.com