The Constant Gardener

Biltmore House Conservatory, Asheville, NC/Photography by Gaye Abbott

Humans are great at running from truth, but in the garden you can’t hide. Life and death, vitality and decay – it’s all there happening before our eyes.

~Green Renaissance from “The Constant Gardener

The first streaks of light beckon to a fresh virgin day to begin. Songbirds fill the air with their Spring melodious, and at times chaotic, sounds of new life, connection with each other….. and of course nest building.

There are no worries or pressure to “do” within this sacred time. Birthing into the unfolding moments we are gifted with when we take our first conscious inhale and exhale of the day. That is if we can banish the thoughts of what this day is “supposed” to be.

We have a choice as we pause at this intersection of dark and light, the space between inhale and exhale. Allow daily unconscious patterns of doing to take root and direct the choices we make.

Or accept the mystery and beauty of unfolding life and death moment to moment. As an elder, being willing to step over the threshold into new territory and creation – even though we don’t know the way..

Nature is a wise guide in teaching us how we shall spend our time. A reminder that everything is born, unfurled for a period of time…..and then passes it’s essence to the life that is to come.

In embracing nature’s wisdom we become “the constant gardener”…..and nourish beauty, love and joy.


The Green Renaissance video below arrived in my inbox at exactly the right moment to remind me of the preciousness, beauty and mystery of life. When in the midst of the inevitable challenges of life….I sometimes forget. And by the way I talk to plants/trees/flowers too…and listen to what they have to tell me! Enjoy…..


“Humans are great at running from truth, but in the garden you can’t hide. Life and death, vitality and decay – it’s all there happening before our eyes.

The garden is a space defined not by it’s physicality but by the emotions it evokes and the connections it provokes. And the act of gardening can change the way we relate to the world around us for the better, giving us perspective and teaching us lessons about life.

Do we choose to plant seeds of fear or love? Do we fertilize anger or harmony? Do we water the connections we have or let them die of thirst?

Our souls are gardens. Our hearts are flowers. They need to be watered, tended, fertilized and loved. Happy gardening! “

Filmed in Riebeek West, South Africa. Featuring Corné Pretorius.”
Humans are great at running from truth, but in the garden you can’t hide. Life and death, vitality and decay – it’s all there happening before our eyes.

The garden is a space defined not by it’s physicality but by the emotions it evokes and the connections it provokes. And the act of gardening can change the way we relate to the world around us for the better, giving us perspective and teaching us lessons about life.

Do we choose to plant seeds of fear or love? Do we fertilize anger or harmony? Do we water the connections we have or let them die of thirst?

Our souls are gardens. Our hearts are flowers. They need to be watered, tended, fertilized and loved. Happy gardening! “

Filmed in Riebeek West, South Africa. Featuring Corné Pretorius.

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You can find ALL of the 2022 31-Days Elder Muse posts in the archives here: https://wildlyfreeelder.com/2022/12/

Gaye Abbott, Wildly Free Elder, 04/01/23

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