Garden Snoozing

This is an excerpt from the weekly News-Loveletter. If you would like it sent to your inbox directly (with all the other juicy bits, including a mini joy practice), you can add yourself to my mailing list here.

I’ve not been so fond of July in years past. The bright blooms of June recede and the responsibilities of harvest are upon us — berries, cucumbers, cherries, peaches (here, I pause in my writing to jump up and bag the marionberries I’d forgotten on a tray in the freezer), lettuce, elderberries. It seems like there’s no time to rest.

Yet, the greater animal kingdom somehow got the memo: Chillax. Harley, my calico companion above, is making the most of our dear asparagus canopy to catch some zz’s in the afternoon sun. I mean, it kind of stands to reason. She doesn’t exactly work for a living. (Kibble cruncher.) But nonetheless, I acknowledge that slowing down and enjoying a midday nap is a healthy pattern. I’ve recently adjusted my rise time to 5:30 and will soon shoot for 5:00 to make the most of the morning cool, so I can kick back in the hammock for siesta midday.

As I make more time to rest, my attitude brightens. The responsibility of harvest grows more fun as well. I begin to document with awe what flowers insist on blooming in this heat. July is beautiful to me this year, and I find the smell of fresh-baked earth homey.

Is it the sleep that shifts my perspective? Maybe. But even more likely, it’s the sense of empowerment I get in taking a page from Harley’s book and finding a way to nurture myself. I’m in the driver’s seat again.

How do you move into the driver’s seat in summer, creating a rhythm that is especially nourishing?