Gardeners do not tend to be enthralled by their own gardens. They typically find something amiss. That’s just how we roll.
I own my chronic disgruntlement as a gardener. Certainly, I don’t unload my legion of complaints on besotted Wonder Garden visitors, but my friends and right-hand volunteers are well aware that my antennae scan for flaws.
This season’s been a bit different for me. Since early May, I’ve been looking at the Wonder Garden as if through someone else’s eyes. Her eyes were startlingly beautiful and her name was Susan Reinhardt. She was very possibly your friend; if she wasn’t you likely wished she had been. For many years, she was also a beloved Wonder Garden volunteer.
Channeling Susan, I sometimes see what’s festive, surprising and just plain gorgeous in the garden as if I haven’t seen it all before. I marvel at the wondrous difference between species, the variations of the color coral and how some plants bob and weave while others stand sentinel. The music of it all!
Surprising myself, I can be remarkably unjudgemental. I see abundance rather than void. Just plain pretty delights me. Most uncharacteristically, I sense a magic at work that makes me want to laugh out loud.
Imagining the WG through Susan Reinhardt’s eyes is a way I’ve learned to honor her spirit and keep my friend nearby. It works. On behalf of all us at the Hoffman, we’d love you to come hang at the Wonder Garden and channel Susan anytime.
