The Harvest Continues

I am grateful for the bounty of our garden, but these last few weeks have really tested my dedication to the craft of growing vegetables. The heat was so oppressive that I could not get outside to do any meaningful work. I blew kisses and sent loving kindness in the general direction of the watermelons, peas, tomatoes, and potatoes, but as far as getting out there and putting my hands in the dirt, that was not going to happen.

I wrestle with these feelings of overwhelm, defeat, and anxiety that arise when I cannot achieve what I desire. I want so very badly to be in nature and to grow a large portion of our food. I am extremely happy when I am in my garden space so why is it causing me so much grief? Yes, there are logical statements to be made here, “Tami, no one is in their yard right now, it’s too dang hot. Just let it go.” But I can’t.

What I can do is to sit with the discomfort of these feelings and look deeply into where they come from. I don’t need a solution; I need to know the source. The best place to do that is on my meditation cushion and that is where I find myself now. There is a parallel in this suffering to other sufferings in my life and maybe even yours. Let me break it down….

Currently there is too much on my plate (it’s a situation I find myself in frequently, clue number 1), so the name of my suffering is overwhelmed. There is the cause of this overwhelm. I took on too much in this given period of time. I’ve gotten good at that skill set. LOL! Not to say that I need to give up everything and never volunteer or take on another job but for now, I have too much going on. This suffering does have an end because all things have an end. Can I get an Amen to that?! There is a path to the end of this suffering, and it is in my actions. I ride it out to the end, in this case the cooler weather that has appeared this week, and then take action to prevent such from happening again.

Suffering is asking something from Life that it cannot give you, unfounded expectations. August and September will not offer low temperatures and humidity. Next year I know how to structure my gardens so that August is a month of bare maintenance only, not for planting more crops. It can wait until September. I was being greedy.

Suffering, the cause of suffering, the cessation of suffering, and the path to the end of suffering. It’s a never-ending story because we are humans, it’s what we do. Where are you in this cycle? Let’s make our observations together.