Raising Joy

My neighbor is 92 years old, but you’d never know it.

He’s in fine shape for his age, and one of the friendliest people I’ve met.

Sometimes I’ll watch Norm puttering in his little flower garden in front of his house. I can tell that some things -- like getting down on his knees and getting back up again unassisted -- are not that easy for his 92-year-old body.

Heck, I could say virtually the same for my far younger body.

But as I watch Norm I am inspired. Here is a guy in his 90s who is apparently not beaten down by the years he’s experienced. And every year -- come Spring -- he’s back in his little garden plot, where he raises some of the most beautiful roses I’ve ever seen.

And it’s not just me. Nearly everyone who passes by is struck by the beauty Norm brings into the world.

My wife, Lee, is another avid gardener of both flowers and veggies. Every Spring, she’s out in the yard digging and planting away. I can see it gives her much pleasure.

And that tugs at my heart, knowing she’s battling cancer. Despite the chemo and the nausea and all the rest, she doesn’t give in to depression or hopelessness. Like the rest of us, she looks forward to Spring -- the eternal re-birth of Life -- deciding as Winter fades which seeds and seedlings she will acquire to raise the best flowers and vegetables ever.

I love to watch her tend her garden all Summer, and I do help out when I can. But it’s really her project, and I know it brings her a needed dose of peace and hope.

Gardening. It’s such a beautiful thing, no matter your age or physical condition.

It’s a wonderful way to add beauty to one’s home and tasty, fresh food to one’s dinner plate. Food that can be proudly eaten, knowing exactly where it came from and the love that went into nursing it along on those hot Summer days that slide by so quickly…

I am not really a gardener. It wasn’t something my parents ever did, so I missed having that mentored into me, I guess. Over the years, I've watched others busying themselves in their gardens and thought: “Well, if it gives them pleasure, then I’m all for it. But I have other things that interest me…”

But now, as I enter my Golden Years, I’m starting to see things differently.

I observe people like Lee and Norm and realize THEY are onto something I’ve missed: The affirmation of Life that gardening brings. To bring Life into this world -- Life that includes gorgeous flowery beauty and delicious homegrown food -- is something truly wonderful to behold.

When it comes down to it, gardening is really about raising Joy in a world that is always in desperate need of it.

So here’s to the Gardeners of the world: Thank you for showing the rest of us what it truly means to be ALIVE.