ARTICLES
Of People and Plants
Two major parts of my life are intimately interwoven: my work as a leader of workshops and trainings, and my work with plants and earth. The first of the two takes place mostly inside; the latter mostly under the open sky. Gardening can occasionally happen even on the kitchen counter, and the window-sills of the living room can serve as a nursery for vegetable seedlings. And sometimes I lead a group of workshop participants outdoors to work under the open sky.
When working with people. I place as much importance as with working with plants in providing optimum conditions to support growth processes.
I often see my workshops as a gardening intervention: the ground gets dug up to allow air to get into its depths; the compost-heap gets turned upside-down to allow new impulses for growth. I do not shy away in applying hefty doses of compost-accelerator in the form of challenges, clarifications and the destroying of illusions. And when the compost has matured, we have optimum conditions for healthy and balanced growth processes; it does not need much more. I have come to believe that, in our essence, we already have all we need to be the person we are meant to be, and most of the time, we need nothing more than time and love. Love seems to me to have the same effect as fertilizer–for people and for plants.
Something else which I have come to understand about the inter-connectedness of these two favorite pastimes of mine: when coming home from a full day of work with people’s pains and sorrows, there is nothing more soothing than gardening. When I put my hands into the soil, I can feel all the accumulated tensions of the day drain out; the fragrance of the earth and plants filling my nose, my brain, my heart–reminding me that I am part of all creation, not here to save the world or anyone, but certainly here to tend to my vegetables and harvest when the time has come.
Gardening does bring me back down to the essentials: a plant’s leaves are limp–I give more water, and, half-an-hour later, the plant thanks me with leaves looking vigorous. Sometimes when asking a plant: “Do you need an extra dose of fertilizer?”, I am amazed at how clearly a plant can give the answer: “Absolutely not!” And when paying closer attention, I might discover some easy-to-treat pest–like lice.
And, as with plants, I am learning when “meaning good” is not a fertilizer, but a poison; when over-caring and wanting to help too much is like using an overdose of fertilizer that results in weakness.
And, as with lice, there might be a simple solution–like holding someone’s hand for a while, no more, no less.
While gardening and tending to my plants, I am learning the art of giving the right dosage, and learning to trust in everyone’s ability to follow their very own growth plan.