Where flowers bloom so does hope.
Lady Bird Johnson

Slept poorly last night and awoke early drenched in sweat ( oh the life of a perimenopausal woman lol).  It is all good.  I got up and did yoga and then I meditated for 20 minutes ( or I tried to...the dogs had other ideas for me :))

I am trying to make the best use of my time and energy, considering them both potentially or actually limited in the physical sense.  So I try to spend each section of my day mindfully, asking myself these questions before I embark on a task or activity,

"Is this the best use of my time and energy?  If I only had today left, would I spend it doing this?  If this depletes my physical energy , will it be worth it? "

Yesterday I gardened which I have not done in soooo long.  The answer to each of the above questions was a resounding yes. Gardening is a great use of time and energy...because when I have my hands in the soil, I am doing something that not only brings joy to me but reflects the  joy of  life.  Planting new things that will make the world more beautiful, attract and sustain more bees and butterflies ( my primary objective) and carry on long after I am dust...is a great use of time and what I have left of oompf.  I am outdoors.  I am actively using my body which I so love to do.  I am literally elbow deep into nature lol feeling life under my fingertips as it crawls or creeps away from my prying hands. 

If I only had one day left I would want to plant and maintain new life...leave something behind for my children and for this world.  I would want to do my small part in ensuring that a species of insects that are so vital to sustaining this planet are given an opportunity to carry on. So yeah...gardening is a great use of my time and a worthy last day on earth activity.  :)

 Shouldn't we all be thinking and acting like it is our last day on earth so we are more conscious of how we are spending each moment and so we make each task a worthwhile one?

Gardening does deplete my physical energy.  I squat in front of raised flower beds and I try not to pull or lift or those types of things that bring on symptoms...but heck, I never succeed lol.  I end up doing what I do with every task I take on with my overly focused  and determined mind...I give it all I got regardless of the cries from my body.  Most times, I literally do not hear more than a whimper until I have accomplished what I set out to accomplish.  Then I feel it.  After an hour of weeding one flower bed that was in urgent need of care...I was completely wiped.  I wouldn't finish until it was all done and then I had to go in and lay down on my zero gravity patio lounger D. bought for me when my back was out, that I placed in the middle of my living room floor  (pretty lol),  and I was out like a light.

I also went back out to the garden in the evening.  My daughter went to the garden center for me to buy me more soil and some perennial's.  Together we planted those while nature swarmed around our heads and bit into our flesh.  I have not felt so alive in a long time. I was determined and we planted what we wanted to plant.  I felt so much accomplishment when I was done despite how exhausted I was.  I felt I used my time and my body in the way God intended...so what were a few symptoms. My energy was definitely depleted but it was all worth it. 

Now it is raining.  I won't have to water or do anything but let nature take care of the new additions to our yard.  Whatever happens, happens. I can just sit back and watch the fruits of our labour materialize before us in blossom, bloom, butterflies and bees.  How cool is that?

All is well in my world.