List submitted by SBGC members and compiled by Robert Kumza
I love the music of Paul Simon. As I listened to his song, “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” while working in my garden, I thought, “50 reasons why I love gardening” would be a great title for an upcoming newspaper story, so I invited Gardening Club members to submit their reasons for gardening. Thanks to all the gardening club members who contributed to this list. Due to publishing word limits, the following is an abbreviated list.
Gardening:
1. Brings meaning and purpose to my retirement
2. Gives me a sense of accomplishment
3. Gives me lots of organic, delicious, healthy food to eat
4. Teaches me that even when I do everything right, sometimes things just go wrong
5. Makes me aware of the goodness of nature
6. Is fun for me because I like to grow things
7. Gives me something to care for and care about
8. Nurtures my sense of belonging in nature
9. Brings me joy in feeling the warmth of the sun and hearing singing birds
10. Gets my creative juices flowing with unlimited opportunities for beauty in my yard
11. Brings satisfaction in every harvest
12. Stretches my mental abilities with constantly changing environmental conditions
13. Makes my yard a personal sanctuary of peace
14. Teaches me to be thankful for every day, rain or shine
15. Thrills me at seeing the first seedings breaking the soil’s surface
16. Forces me to get up, get out, and exercise outdoors
17. Lets me see rewards for my efforts
18. Makes my neighbor happy for all the goodies she gets
19. Helps people at the Community Food Bank with my excess
20. Surprises me when a cantaloupe seed in my compost pile grows and produces fruit
21. Brings smiles to the poor people at my church who love my “care packages”
22. Brightens my dining table with fresh flowers
23. In Ariz., gardening gives me a great activity to enjoy 12 months of the year
24. Makes me appreciate the value of our desert water resources
25. Stimulates all my five senses
26. Creates a beautiful sanctuary for me to enjoy
27. Keeps me slim and trim without having to go to the gym
28. Is one-half physical and one-half mental
29. Makes outdoor exercise time fly by
30. Let’s me grow varieties I can’t buy at the store or nursery
31. Motivates me to get out of bed early before the heat of the day
32. Teaches me patience as I anxiously await the first blossoms of spring
33. Proves that there is a time and season for everything
34. Citrus trees produce delicious fresh squeezed orange and grapefruit juice
35. Tomatoes—need I say more?
36. Teaches me to be grateful for every harvest, large or small
37. Melts my worries away
38. Reminds me of my early childhood days with my grandparents, parents, and siblings