A Prolific Spring: Planting your own Garden

What’s in a name? That which we call a rose.
By any other name would smell as sweet.

Much as I love Shakespeare, this timeless prose does not hold up when it comes to marketing, branding, business and website naming. The right name can make all the difference to your clientele, your traffic and ultimately to your success. So meaning what we say and saying what we mean with our chosen names is imperative.

I chose prolific living as my blog’s name to embody the essence of being productive and abundant in large quantities as the theme and vision for this blog. Reading profusely. Traveling tirelessly. Relentlessly pursuing the yoga journey. Exploring and learning voraciously. Those aspects and more, I share here in the blog with you. So it seems I stay true to my name.

Still, I know I can always do more. Specifically, I remember when I first looked up Prolific in the dictionary, some time after I had already decided upon it naturally (!), there was the literal translation staring at me: “producing … fruit; abundantly fruitful“. When spring brightened our lives again with its sweet arrival this year, I decided to document one other aspect of my life for you, one that is a subtle but constant joy this time of year, that of planting a garden in the spring.

Do you know the joy I am talking about? Do you plant your own garden in the spring?

I used to imagine a garden to be a reasonably sized plot of land with marked sections devoted to different types of flowers or vegetables. A pretty garden with fences, lots of vegetables, heaps of flowers, tall lemon, orange and avocado trees all around. Oh yes and a large Italian style swimming pool in the center. As obstinate as you may be, the truth shows you a different reality in life, and the truth of this matter is that size is inconsequential when it comes to having a garden. That what really matters is that you plant something and watch it grow and in this process you feel at the very least closer to nature, and on a deeper level, even transformed by the awe that is Mother Nature.

In a few small planters and a tiny balcony, I have made my garden. And judging from last year’s prolific crop, I needed no more encouragement to continue the trend. I had more peppers and oregano and sweet Italian basil than I knew what to do with. The sun had been bright, the climate ideal and the rain abundant and if not, the watering can always ready to serve its purpose. The experience leaves you wanting more, especially after you taste and consume your very own crop. So this spring, I have done it again and am expecting an even fuller crop, come mid-May!

In no way should you be expecting detailed instructions on how to plant your small or big garden here in this post. That question is best suited for my omniscient father on the matter. What I share is the inspiration from this simplistic process of planting a seed (or a baby plant in most of my cases) and watching it grow. I want to urge you to plant a garden of your own at some point in your life.

Here are some (too many to list all) of my reasons for you. Maybe they will become your reasons, maybe you will find some of your own. Either way, plant a garden one spring in your life.

i am a better person when i take care of my plants.

no pepper, no basil, no tomato has tasted better than the one i grow myself.

the greenness of mother nature is the best therapy and rest for the eyes.

i know whence my vegetable and herb come and i like it.

i have a new sense of responsibility toward my plants and that is a good feeling to cultivate in life.

the smell of my own herbs and vegetables is enough reason.

i learn more about nature and learning is always good.

taking care of plants returns me to the simplicity of life, problems seem smaller, solutions abundant.

yes i feel closer to mother nature, cliché or not.

i am being witness to the growth process, which never gets old.

i can see, feel, smell and taste the fruits of my labor, no pun intended.

it simply makes me immensely happy.

Have I convinced you yet to plant your own garden? Surely a few photos will definitely do the trick.

Or perhaps more inspiration from my garden-lover readers will turn the tide for the rest and soon, all of us will be planting a small garden, come spring time!

Share your beautiful thoughts on your own garden and why you plant one!