Escape

We all have areas of our life that are private. Places where we go either physically or emotionally and exclude others. For me, my garden is the place I escape to. Only there can I escape the stresses and sometimes harsh reality of the world. My backyard is completely fenced in and I jokingly refer to it as a jungle run amok. It's mostly one big planting bed with paths winding through it. It has way too many statues and rocks along with one area of impossibly tall weeds. I like to think I am letting it go so it resembles a natural habitat. Actually it's the last area I usually get to during spring cleanup each year before the weather is unreasonably hot. So year after year, it continues to grow and I continue to ignor it. If I was smart, I would start at that area when the weather was much cooler but as it also needs the most work, I continue in the same order year after year.

When I am back there digging, raking, planting and sweating, nothing else comes to mind but what I am trying to accomplish at that minute. I can get totally lost in the mindless tasks of weeding, pruning and mulching. I don't invite friends to my yard but I occasionally share photos. I can control the look of the photo but letting someone walk through my garden invites their comments and I'm not sure I could face the criticism in this one area of my life. I can see the flaws in my garden but at least there is hope there for the future. Hope that I'll be able to make it perfect some day. I don't want anyone to squash my hope. In the meantime, all I can do is continue working at it, one escape after another.