Garden Portraits Newsletter, Summer 2006
Living in the Moment with Gardening and Art
Living the simple life…
Being with one's own thoughts...
Living in the moment…
With our hurried lifestyles, we sometimes neglect these concepts or do not value them at all.
We rush from one task to the next without time to really reflect on what we're doing and why.
We do not take time to "stop and smell the roses". We do not take time to slow down and really
experience life. I am as guilty of running through life as the next person. It seems so important
to get my family ready to go…wherever we are going. The house needs to be straightened.
My portfolio of photographs needs to grow, so I need to rush out and take pictures. The bills have
to be paid. The garden must be weeded. However, when I do stop to take a breath and clear some time
on my calendar for what I want to do, I sometimes find that what I want to do and what I have to do match.
It makes life so much more enjoyable.
Two of my greatest passions are gardening and photography (which I suppose is obvious if you've browsed through this web site at all). The main reason I love these things so much is that they allow me to "live in the moment," when I let them. When I don't think about rushing to my next task, I enjoy methodically pulling weeds, breathing in the smells of the garden around me, and observing the brilliant colors of the flowers. I like the feeling of a gentle summer breeze on my face and the softness of the petals as I deadhead my roses. I like picturing in my mind's eye how my garden will expand over the years and how I will make lovely spaces in which my daughter can play. Being with these thoughts calms me.
Photography brings similar feelings for me. The colors, the breezes, the smells all focus me on something simpler than the things for which I rush every day. Despite the fancy equipment and the nerve-wracking end goal of trying to make a living, when I really let go on a photo-shoot I live in the moment. I become one with the garden and really experience all that it has to offer. I take my best photographs when I slow down and enjoy myself. I end up conveying my passion and excitement for what I am doing. When I hit my stride and really feel part of the nature around me, I best photograph the scene so that others can experience the same feelings I do.
I first experienced living in the moment, the simplicity of life, and being with my own thoughts when I began running in junior high school and then when I took up photography a few years later. I first could name this idea of living in the moment -mindfulness or vipassana -- when I started meditating in graduate school. The art of mindfulness allows me to enjoy my life more completely by giving full attention to whatever task is at hand. When I am mindful, my breathing slows and I open myself up to the experience. I am more aware of who I am, I am more at peace with myself, and more aware of my surroundings. I am not easily disturbed though all my senses feel heightened. I am more open to the gifts of what the experience is offering me and do not judge the elements of the experience. For example, I can feel the weather without being bothered by the heat or cold. I can let sounds envelope me rather than trying to tune them out.
I think that sense of calm gets transferred to the final product of my arts (gardening and photography). In fact, I find that when I view my gardens, my photos, and other pieces of art that I enjoy that I am transported to that meditative space. They are a reminder to me to experience the beauty that surrounds me. I feel my breathing slow and I feel happy. The chatter in my head of what my next task must be moves aside for thoughts of well-being and oneness with nature or my surroundings. I hope that my work makes others feel the same way because there is no other feeling like it in the world.
