Nope, it’s sure not the money. If that were the reason I’m a garden coach then I’d be doing the wrong thing. Yes, I can make a living doing this work while charging what I believe is a very fair rate for providing hands-on learning in each homeowner’s garden, but the money isn’t the bonus.
Today, driving back from my morning garden mentoring session, I smelled fresh soil after a rainstorm and was bathed in fragrant rosemary after working in enormous shrubs part of the morning. Well drained after last night’s rains and wind, the soil was pliable under my fork as I illustrated lifting and dividing daylilies and crocosmia. The soil adhered to my shoes and my rain pants, filling the rosemary air with the scent of fresh earth.
The bonus of being out in the planet and carrying a bit home, still inhaling the fantastic rosemary aromas as I type this sentence, that’s a big plus that keeps me going out, doing this day after day, season after season…in rain, sleet, wind, hail and breezy summer days. I feel connected and as I bring knowledge to my clients empowering them to take another brave step into the experimental and experiential world of gardening, I am rewarded — with the gifts of the earth and with each client’s smile as s/he learns one more key to unlocking the garden’s secrets.
Recognizing and appreciating the little things sometimes helps me remember just how big these little things really are and what grace they bring to my life.
