Why Friends Matter

Last night I went on a garden tour. A local couple have been developing an edible garden for the past 15 years. It was eye opening, tasty, and beautiful. I could have stayed all night if not for the mosquitos. I need to find out what plants drive away mosquitos.

Every stop on our way around the yard had some amazing story, surprise fact, or a plant I've never heard of (there were loads of those). We ate something at most of the stops, service berries, edible flowers, leaves. Sometimes we enjoyed the smell of lemons fresh from the tree, pineapple sage, and a smelly leaf from a plant I forget.

The whole picture of a yard was green, lush, and alive. Years of trying new things, solving problems, enjoying successes. As I considered the friends I'd gone with and the new ones I'd met there, it occurred to me how much alike friends and gardens are. The more time you spend on them the richer they both are. It is cliché I know, but it is an axiom at this point. 

I was there surrounded by thriving vegetation because of my connection to friends. One friend said under no uncertain terms that she would come by to pick me up. She did it, too! Another friend set up the tour. Several more arrived for the event. I've not felt this at peace since I was a child. Ironically, that was when I last had any semblance of a garden.

Tonight, I made my garden commitment. I bought soil and created my own raised bed garden. As I planted each start and seedling, I saw the group of us laughing and walking together. Filling my plot with fruits and veggies was a physical manifestation of friendship, a creation of that night in my own yard. Ultimately, a way to be there anytime I want, with my friends, and my plants. That matters to me.