life in the garden

the garden is a good place for me to be. there's nothing better on this planet to eat than anything fresh off the plant, or out of the soil. to live off the earth is to thrive.. that's the way i see it anyways. it's been a challenge in itself to adapt to a more stationary lifestyle, it's always been a part of my program not to settle, to be always on the move.

but staying in one place has certainly paid off. foraging is a healthy habit, but nothing can beat growing your own food, and i wanted to have a place i call home where i do it. urban farming, right here in the city. just as i learned a lot from this past year of self observation, i learned what to do to adapt my gardening habits to my semi-vagabondish tendencies. my travel habit had some ill effects on the garden this year, but this prepares me for how to avoid such issues next season. the state of the garden and that of my health go hand in hand.

a healthful bounty. i am learning to grow. and with the wisdom of each attempted garden plot i move forward next season with many dreams and ideas. ones that shall grow into fruition. the colours of the bounty are inspiration enough, but the taste is worth living for. over the winter i shall continue to design, the garden and my life, so that when the sun returns i am ready to receive it.

20thirteen

i suppose when i started this blog i had this idea in my head that if i kept tabs on myself here, it'd motivate me more than ever to find my health. i wasn't wrong, i guess i just thought it would happen faster. at least it's happening.. i've only lost a few pounds this year, i think weight loss was the expectation that makes me feel like i haven't gotten anywhere. truly though, i have. as if to apply permaculture principles to my own health, i had to take the time to observe, to truly see myself and what it is i do that keeps me in a state of dis-ease. genetic predisposition is only a small part of it. it is completely possible to live a healthy life, it just requires a little more care than for those un-predisposed.

stress does some incredible things to the body. it can show in countless physical symptoms, it can keep you fat [or make you lose weight], it can make you sick [even so far as to create ulcers], and it can most certainly mess up your sleep cycle. after this long, fully encompassing observation period, i have come to realize that the stresses i have put myself under in my everyday life most likely has a lot to do with why i have a hard time staying healthy.

now that doesn't mean i'm going to stop doing everything i'm doing because it all creates stress, it simply means that i have to find ways of alleviating that stress, or not experience a stress response to my daily life in the first place. attitude is key. now that i am aware of the unnecessary emotional hells i have put myself through due to situations in or beyond my control, i can stop myself before i let things affect me negatively. instead of getting upset about something right away i remember to breathe. the trick is that usually after three deep, calm breaths the stress response will start to dissipate quickly. getting angry, upset or stressed out is never a good way for me to deal with things.

i feel like i'm finally beginning to get all of my ducks into a row. i know what helps and doesn't help, what i can handle and what i can't, and how to push myself. i had all year to see what works for me, and a chance to work through accepting what does not. i have collected all of the tools that i need to have a better diet, and have been slowly introducing them forming habits and rituals. this is key to building a healthier lifestyle. trends are bad, they fade.. but habits, even healthy ones are hard to break. and rituals... now that is just sacred. life is sacred. i'll do my best to make a ritual of everything.