Nature Doesn't Judge

The kids and I planted a garden this week.  Tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, brussels sprouts, rhubarb, strawberries, raspberries, and herbs are underway. Connecting our family to the land has been the unplanned theme of 2023.  I’m loving every minute.  When time feels like it’s going too quickly, heading outdoors has a way of slowing it back down.

There’s a lot to love about being outside, but at the top of my list this week is that nature doesn’t judge.  Come as you are.  Broken, giddy, somber, silly, rich, poor, dirty, clean, you are welcome. It’s very freeing to feel without scrutiny.  It’s the best I’ve felt in weeks.

Reader, it dawned on me this week that one of the best gifts we can give ourselves and our families and strangers and the planet is not to scrutinize harshly. This is a damn hard feat for me: I was raised in a Christian church where shame and guilt came with the territory. But those emotions aren’t useful to me anymore. 

This week, I’m hoping to take a note from Mother Nature and try to accept and love people and things as they are.  I’ve been trying it for a few days, and I haven’t missed guilt or shame even once. If you need a break from them too, try casting them aside. Life’s too short. Enjoy yourself this week, and I’ll see you next Monday. -Em

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