I love working in the garden-always have! I love getting my hands dirty, working with soil and living things, and pushing around the dirt with shovel and hoe. Few things in life give my such pleasure and relaxation. I've been gardening ever since I can remember, so I try to schedule at least at hour day just doing stuff around the yard. Just what the doctor ordered after a stressful day at the office.
There is no finer place to garden then on Oahu. Where else can one grow so many exotic species of plants and watch them mature. I never imagined coconuts or cactus in my back yard. Sometimes out in the yard, when I'm pruning, planting or watering, I close my eyes, take a deep breath of air, and think of how grateful I am to be on this tropical island. I open my eyes and see any number of fruit trees, flowers, different kinds of ferns, palms, and ginger plants. What a joy to the eye!
Just the other day my wife and I harvested some mangos and avacado's from our yard. Gotta say the avacado sandwich has grown on me over time. And nothing beats stuff grown in your own yard. Can't wait for the sweet potatoes to come up.
I love the out of doors, I love the soil, and I love the sun and rain which drench the red soil. These experiences each make me feel more grounded, rooted, and closer to God. Celtic Christians referred to God as the God of the Elements, the God who is "behind nature and the creation". Those of us who are "outdoorsy" will recognize the wisdom in that statement. Here too I think the Celtic perspective has something to offer us moderns who often limit God to something less demensional than He really is. God is more than Divine Mind, more than intellect, more than projections. The incarnation, God becoming man in Christ, presents the rather novel notion that God wanted to stoop down from on high and "join us" here in the soil and mud.
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