March however, is my favorite month of the year. A lot of very cool people, including myself, have birthdays this month. Bushes and trees are beginning to bud and the daffodils have already bloomed with yellow flowers signaling the end of Winter and a renaissance of new things to see and do. People are emerging from their caves and basking in the warm Sunshine. It ushers in a rebirth, or revival, of life all around us, even though we all know a "cold snap" can happen at any time during the month, we still revel in the idea that the worst is behind us- and we survived.
Yesterday, I fired up the Snapper mower. Not that the grass needed mowing, but to vacuum up the last leaves from Winter and to trim the weeds to a nice even level. Even weeds, the first things to turn green in my yard, look better when trimmed evenly. I also have a strange urge, something that I don't need to do, but feel it has to be done. I live less than a mile from two grocery stores, but I feel the need to dig in the dirt, plow a streak, and plant some vegetables. There is something very therapeutic about getting your hands dirty and creating something from nothing, even though you can buy it from a store. Not to mention cursing the weeds and grass that will infiltrate the boundaries of your neat rows you take so much care in preparing.
It's a vital part of life to do something and then bitch about maintaining it. It's like having a puppy or kitten, which becomes your child and a huge part of your life you need to care for, and they wet the floor or poop in the corner. They didn't mean to do it, and are so darn cute you can't stay mad at them, but they depend on you totally to take care of them, take them for walkies or clean their litter pan.
Oh, Mary, Mary, how does your garden grow?
You, and me, are not entitled to anything on this planet. The verse "you reap what you sow" is very true. Do nothing and you'll receive nothing. The Donald is not going to knock on your door and hand you a Million Dollars. Even if he did, you'd likely be miserable, trying to protect it from the IRS, or hiring bodyguards and installing elaborate alarm systems to protect it from the greedy or hungry knocking on your door. You might not even notice that you have become greedy and are hungry for more. More money, more power and totally missing the basics.
The Grinch, who stole Christmas, realized even though he had everything, he was missing the "real" thing. Think about your last visit to the grocery store and how you felt. You place your plastic bag of processed salad on the conveyor belt that was grown anywhere in the world, chopped up by strangers that may not have washed their hands, that has been on a truck several days before sitting on your grocer's shelf for several days. Sure, it is convenient, but is it worth it? After all it is a brand name, like Dole. Safety/Recalls
My Grandparents grew most of their food and meats living on a farm. They only bought a few staples from the store like sugar and flour, but the rest was raised a few feet from the kitchen. They did not die from Cancer or gastrointestinal infections, they died well fed and happy. The closet country store was two miles away and a full grocery store was 11 miles away. It was much more convenient for them to walk outside to the garden, or use a jar of canned vegetables from last year, or frozen in bags they processed themselves.
I know I have rambled here, but the old saying that "less is more" totally applies. So when you call up that shrink in Beverly Hills, you know the one, Dr. Everything'll be alright, hang up the phone and go play in the dirt. Plant the seeds, watch them grow, and reap what you sow.
