About this time last year, I was walking down my street and stumbled upon an urban oasis of community gardeners, working away at the most adorable garden I had somehow never seen. I thought two things at that very moment.
1) It’s amazing how much you can miss in the city when you walk around with your head buried in your stroller, grocery bag and cell phone.
2) I HAD to get in there.
I quickly searched for the organization, emailed around and requested information. Turned out there was a verrrry long waiting list for plots in the garden, but they were willing to offer me opportunities to volunteer there and use the compost. Eh. I wasn’t so pumped about that. So, I put the fantasy of being perfect wife and mom back in the depths of my mind and left it there to rot for the remainder of the year.
Suddenly this Spring though, I got an unexpected email with the subject line: “Are you still interested in a garden plot?”
Yes! YES YES YES!! I didn’t want to know who had to die ahead of me to get that plot. I just said yes, signed up, got a key and was IN.
A few weeks later I thought to myself. Wait a sec. I have no idea how to grow things, so I should probably consult someone about this…That weekend my mom saved the day and came in with a few starter plants, her green thumb, and the rest is history! What I am most excited to see is my elder daughter, Josephine’s, reaction. At 3 years old, she has been surprisingly involved in the entire process. From digging up what was left in the plot, to laying down new top soil, to spacing out seedlings and giving them room to grow. She and her younger sister come with me each day to water our growing garden, play in the sandbox there, and measure with our legs how high all the plants have gotten.
She is excited to eat the vegetables we are growing, and is patiently waiting for them to take their time to grow. She takes it very seriously, and I couldn’t be more proud.
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