Among the treasures I’m most thankful for, the statue garden a block from my house is high on the list. It’s hauntingly beautiful, strikingly out of place, and it comes with its own dramatic back story. It’s like stepping into another world; a wonderful place for a dreamy romantic like me.

Most of my twenties were spent coupled-up in a not-right-for-me relationship. I knew who I was in the context of being a couple, but at 28 years old, I had no idea who I was and what my personal talents and interests were. So, with 29 looming, I parted ways with my then fiancé and began to figure those things out for myself. I’d spent years cultivating couple friends and doing couple things, but when all those couple friends and couple things went away, I was left with a plot of barren land and the realization that I’d spent hardly any time planting my own garden.

At first, the barren Self Garden was scary and overwhelming, but over the last several years, I’ve found the process of discovering, planting, and pruning myself to be exhilarating, liberating, and empowering.   In fact, following new interests is what lead me to the statue garden in the first place. Back in the spring they began offering community classes for Meridian Tapping, a stress relief technique where you literally tap on your body’s accupressure points in order to improve your energy flow.  Out of curiosity, I popped in one Saturday morning for a free class and that’s when I discovered this hidden-in-plain-site gem.

So, of course I decided to sign up to support the garden as a volunteer.   I believe the Universe is always giving us signs and signals and I find there is almost always a correlation between whatever work needs to be done in the Community Garden and the work that needs to be done in my Self Garden. Gardening is a slow and gentle process and any time I’ve spent working in the Community Garden has required me to slow to a snail’s pace. While I’m delicately trimming away the expired blooms from the plants, I have time to reflect on what needs to be trimmed away from my Self Garden; hobbies that are distracting me from my main goals, people who take more of my energy than I should allow, worries that are of no benefit. Chop, snip, clip, into the scrap bucket they go – just like the withered blooms. Sometimes new seeds need to be planted, too. That requires digging into the soil, getting my hands dirty, planning and plotting the seeds for the best conditions in which to grow, and waiting for the next warm season to enjoy the fruits of my efforts.

For me, the garden is living proof of the old adage “Life is what you make it.” When I moved to NYC, I definitely didn’t anticipate leisurely time in a community garden to be one of my regular activities, but it’s turned out to be my favorite place for peace, tranquility, and community. I believe I need the garden as much as she needs me.