Connectedness -Lessons from Garden – Entry Two

The holiday season, from Halloween through the New Year brings a lot of energy to me. We enjoyed Thanksgiving, my daughter’s 34^th birthday, my husband’s birthday and mine within one week‘s time.  Phew. I love it, it’s fun.  It reminds me of how glorious it is to be with others you love….and how vibrant it feels to know that we truly are all one. 

I wanted to write this month’s newsletter as a continuation of my Lessons from the Garden.  This is Entry Two and it is a reflection about Connectedness. Feeling connected, having a sense of belongingness, is listed on Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs as one of a human’s highest needs. Maslow is known as The Father of Humanistic Psychology and a great healer himself. 

Connectedness is a feeling, a sense, of belonging with others, to others, as well as a connectedness to one’s self. We truly are a part of one another.  We are dependent on each other for love, we depend on the plants for food and we learn over our lifetime that we are all connected. I have worked on connecting with myself, with creating and then enhancing a sense of self-worth and self-esteem for many, many years. Throughout my young life, I often felt unconnected to those around me.  However, I did feel a deep connection to the earth, the plants and being outside in Nature.  Yearning for the sweet connection to other human souls, I began my search, starting within.  Through years of counseling, reading and various other methods of introspection, I believe I found that connection.  I believe that one must connect with themselves, deeply, before the ability to connect with others can arise.

Being in the garden and being in Nature has taught me the value of connectedness.  Listening to the sound of the wind and the songs of the birds on an early morning garden walk has shown me, without a doubt, that universal connectedness.  We are all one. This sense of connection brings a peacefulness that is exquisite. Life often throws us into stressful circumstances.  Seven years ago when my husband was very ill, I sought out the peacefulness and connectedness of the garden.  The garden calmed me, helped me to relax, be in the moment, and feel a sense of accomplishment and success. Then it was back to caretaking.

Feeling connected to Nature, has enabled me to connect in even a deeper way to myself.  The garden is my Sanctuary, my church, my walking meditation. Knowing that we are all connected, a manifestation of the same energy, has encouraged me to study and practice the philosophy and the teachings of Buddhism. Buddha realized that all beings, all material things are the same, only residing in different containers for a specific time period.  Buddhism is teaching me many things about connectedness. 

Feeling this powerful sense of connectedness in my garden has led me to practice other methods of experiencing deeper connections.  Another practice that I love is Yoga. Becoming disciplined and practicing Yoga several times a week has helped lead me to feel a fuller sense of freedom.  Freedom in my body, freedom in my mind and freedom in my spirit.  The physical postures are wonderful. They stretch your muscles, helping to keep your joints supple and strong, and encourage you to go a bit behind your comfort zone.  My meditation practice has helped me to realize the immense love that is within me, for all other living beings, for the animals, the plants and for all life.  My wish for you is to find this profound sense of connection. 

Begin in the garden.

C