Garden Zen by Rebecca Zook

Original Acrylic on Panel
8×10 Unframed

I’m pretty much an introvert and freelance from home, so the COVID-19 self-quarantine has not changed my daily routine in that respect. Being in a high-risk category for the virus has weighed heavily, though, and I worry about what happens to me and others like me when the rest of the world returns to normal. Garden therapy is my distraction of choice. There is something about digging in the dirt that brings calm. It doesn’t matter if it’s building a new garden bed, adding and moving plants or even weeding. I enjoy it all. My senses are engaged. Rosemary, lavender, oregano and mint grow in various beds. A slight brush against them releases their fragrance. Jasmine is just beginning to bloom. Birds sing all around me. Bees buzz and flutterbys (butterflies) flit by. I run my hands through the soil and I feel the different textures of the plants. Beauty is all around. One or more of my cats always join me in the garden offering various levels of ‘help’. My garden is truly where I find Zen and I reconnect to the natural world.