Let’s Take a Stroll Outdoors-A Garden Tour!!

Let’s Take a Stroll- A Garden Tour!

Hello, friends! I hope today’s post finds you well!

So, friends, I have a confession to make.

I’ve never been a morning person.

It’s true. This girl is just not a get-up and go, smiling from ear to ear, want to have a long chit chat kind of gal right away in the morning.

I like “MY” time. Time to wake up. And time to think.

TIME.

Michael gets that about me. He always has, and it’s never once bothered him. Nor has he ever pushed me to be more like him. Who, by the way, is VERY much a morning person!  He gives me my time.

But these past months that ‘time’ was being filled up with things that were causing me a great deal more anxiety. Things like the news, and social media.

So about a few weeks ago, I stopped listening to both right away in the morning. Instead, I started a NEW ritual.

The first thing I do with coffee in hand is to open our front door and step outside.

Away from the noise of what’s going on in the world. And sometimes in our own lives.

Instead, I step out onto our front porch-take a deep breath and listen only to the sounds of nature.

On the days that have been super hot and muggy, there is a slight mist in the air and the porch is damp. As are all of the pots that line my path down the porch steps.

I know from many years of planting that not all plants and pots are created equal. So I make a mental note of which will need water, and then I move on.

As I meander across the front lawn I’m reminded that planting these pots was a wee bit different this year.  Looking on the bright side though- change can be good. I’m quite satisfied with those I did find. And they seem to be flourishing even on the hottest of days.

That makes me happy. Just like these vibrant tiger lilies that recently popped up in my hydrangea bush!

Someone once told me that the tiger lily was the oldest and wisest flower on the continent.

I’m not sure about the oldest, but wise? Well, on one of the hottest weeks of the summer, it chose a cool shady spot to settle in to. Very wise indeed!

And those hydrangeas? Well, they make my heart skip a beat every year when they begin to bloom. Remembering that once this gigantic bush was nothing more than a spindly Charlie Brown bush, gives this once brown thumbed gal hope that she can accomplish ANYTHING if she just puts her mind to it!

Walking down the worn pathway to the back gardens, I hear the birds chirping in the tree above, and as I turn the corner I can’t help but chuckle. Mr. or Mrs.Squirre(I’m not sure which) is usually always a perch our outdoor table having a breakfast of walnuts from our tree in the back yard.

He doesn’t seem to mind as I stand and watch him while sipping my coffee. But you can bet if I had my camera he (or she) would be gone in a flash!

So I just keep walking.

I’m in no rush, as it is still early and the neighborhood is still asleep for the most part. But it is then that I begin to think about the day I have planned ahead. A day that will be busy no doubt.

And it could have some moments of anxiety or frustration. But it can also have moments of joy and peace.

Like this morning walk. Which isn’t over yet. I still have time. Time to get ready for the day ahead. My way. Surrounded by the sounds and smells of nature.

And just like me, everything in the gardens are slowly waking up as I walk by.

Like me, they are preparing for the day. To grow. To thrive. And to accomplish what they were put here to do.

By the time I’m ready to make my way back to the front porch, my basket is full of the day’s bounty, and me? Well, I’m almost ready for my day to begin.

But before I do I take a seat on this swing. Where I’m usually joined by Michael and a second cup of coffee!

He doesn’t have to ask if I’m ready to start my day- somehow he just knows.

And so it begins…

With all that is going on in the world today, I hope YOU are taking time for YOU!

It really is a MUST if we are all going to get through this. Because frankly, you can’t take care of your family and others, if you don’t take care of you first!

So take TIME for you.

Thank you so much for sharing a part of your day with us. I cannot tell you how much joy that brings me each and every day.

One positive thought in the morning can change your whole day!

 

 

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Stay Well!