She trundled her wheelbarrow back to the greenhouse, wandered through the
smell of rich, moist earth; burgeoning flowers; sharp, strong greens, selecting the
plants she’d nurtured for this particular project.
Good, steady physical labor in the warm afternoon. That made her happy, too.
Who knew she had such a capacity for happy?
The Witness
________________
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24430196
'The repetitive nature of a lot of gardening jobs allows you to really be in the moment and forget your worries. It may sound corny but the way it clears your mind helps you notice the beauty around you, and in our busy, hectic lives we have filtered out a lot of that, so just getting back to nature can be a real tonic.'
________________
An hour later, she stepped back and checked her progress before going inside for ice to add to the tea she’d left steeping in the sun.
“It’s going to be beautiful,” she told Bert. “And we’ll be able to sit on the porch and watch the butterflies. I think we’ll draw hummingbirds, too.
I’ll love seeing all this grow and bloom, the butterflies and birds. We’re putting down roots, Bert. The deeper they go, the more I want them.”
I’ll love seeing all this grow and bloom, the butterflies and birds. We’re putting down roots, Bert. The deeper they go, the more I want them.”
She closed her eyes, lifted her face to the sun.
Oh, she loved the way the air sounded, loved the way it smelled.
The Witness