Photo by Claus Dalby
I have always LOVED being in a garden...!! My childhood garden was filled with all kinds of flowers, berry bushes and secret places where one could hide without being found :-) My grandmothers garden was much bigger and filled with vegetables, fruit trees as well as flowers and a big lawn. I loved spending time in that garden and around my grandmother, and watch her, as she was gardening and making everything bloom...
For many years - after leaving my childhood village - I lived in appartments in big cities, since a house with a garden was not within reach financially. And during all those years I longed so much for a garden and the wellbeing of spending time with it. Finally, 3 years ago, we managed to get a house with a tiny garden on one side of the house, and I cannot express the feeling of finally being able to walk barefoot on "my own" lawn (although one cannot "own" part of the Planet since it is a home for all living things) and do exactely what I want in the garden. The joy of watching the first springflowers appear after a long winter - the dew on the grass in the morning - all so breathtaking and regenerating..
Some days ago I read a very interesting article; Scientists have now discovered that some bacterias - called Mycobacterium vaccae - that live in the ground, affect the brain cells, which (when breathing in the bacterias released by digging in the ground) then release "serotonin" in the brain, which makes humans happy! Scientist discovered this by an incidense, when people with lungcancer were treated with the bacteria, and afterwards felt much better and happier. All one needs to do, is to dig and turn the earth upside down, and the bacteria will whirl up in the air, and up in the nose of the person doing it..!
So this makes a lot of sense to me why many people love gardening. And also makes me wonder if illnesses like for example cancer, could be prevented by the simple fact of having a garden and doing (healing) gardening ...
Have a happy and healing week ~
I love gardening and it's so satisfying to see something you planted bloom!!! Have a wonderful week :)
SvarSletWhat an interesting article/fact. I absolutely love the smell of the earth and freshly dug soil. When you get the combination of a cat that has been lying in the earth and you hold it in your arms and put your nose deep into its fur-coat and smell that lovely mother earth smell... there's nothing better! What a combination. And it is tremendously healing doing gardening... I'm sure it lowers blood pressure as well.
SvarSlet