Whether you’re an avid gardener or nature-seeker, or someone who has never had a hand in growing anything before, or somewhere in between, we all benefit from exposure to nature. Earth Day is a time to reflect on our relationship with our world and the other life that inhabits it.
We’ve highlighted the wonders of nature in past Moments of Bliss such as Full Bloom, Bidders Of A Feather, Cozy Critter Cams and Bee The Change, just to name a few. Personally, we’ve reaped the many benefits of caring for plants and, like many people across the world, those benefits became all the more important during the turmoil of the Covid era. Even just watching gardening shows brought feelings of hope and possibility, and not just for us. This New York Times article describes the recent interest in such content (and compares the US to the UK, where they have a national gardener in Monty Don, as well as a pantheon of gardening celebrities, while we have garden gurus in Martha Stewart and Drew Barrymore).
This segment about National Gardening Day from our local news station, KTLA, featured urban gardener Christy Wilhelmi sharing tips and encouragement for anyone interested in growing edible plants. One message that she and other gardening enthusiasts all seem to project is that anyone can garden. If you don’t have access to growing space where you live there are often community gardens nearby where you can volunteer.
Volunteers are the life-blood of any community effort, and as any nonprofit director will tell you, it’s vital to nurture your relationships with volunteers and donors, just like our gardens require nurture to thrive. The more attention and care you give, you more you will be given in return. And so the cycle will continue and flourish.
Happy Earth Day, folks!
Hat tip: KTLA segment shared on social media by Nourish LA
Video source: GPhase channel on Youtube
Photo source: Bliss Auctions CEO Ruth Grayson
