All things come with a cost of some kind. If you want your house clean, you have to roll up your sleeves and do it; or you work hard to earn money that you can give to a cleaning service. If you need some relaxation, you likely will need to give something else up; perhaps earning money, working on a project, or being there for others. If you want to strengthen your relationships with people, you'll need to invest your time and attention with them.
And making your body a strong and healthy place is no different! Assuring you can access healthy food requires you have some legal tender. Food ain't getting any cheaper! And it can become very discouraging when trying to obtain the best food for yourself.
There is one way, however, that reaps many rewards and doesn't demand a ton of paper...
That's right! Gardening!
Gardening is a rewarding experience. It does take time, frequent attention, energy, strength, and some money. But gardening delivers so much more than than selecting the best zucchini out of the bunch at the grocery store.
Growing your own food delivers a greater perspective
Providing a plant with enough care for it to thrive and produce food takes time. At any time of the year, you can take a trip to the grocery store and grab a tomato. Of course it won't be the most nutritious tomato in the middle of winter. And imagine yourself removed from this luxury...
To produce a tomato, you'll need to plant several tomato seeds in the Spring dirt. You'll want to plant several because some of them may not make it. You'll be pleased to watch them peek out of the ground within a couple weeks (ahhhh! so exciting!). From there, you'll watch them grow from an eighth of an inch to at least a foot, if not several feet tall within three months. During that time you'll have ensured the plant had enough water, nutrients, physical support, and weed-free soil.
Finally you can pluck your first sweet-smelling tomato from the plant!
Breathe that intoxicating scent in!
This time, attention, energy and strength given to a plant not only cultivates something edible and life-sustaining; it cultivates appreciation. It is an INCREDIBLE JOY to grow, pick, and eat your own food! Not to mention, it is potentially more nutritious than what you can get from your average supermarket. And if you are looking for ways to eat more fruits and vegetables, this is one of the loveliest ways of doing so.
Here are a few questions to ponder:
1. Are you seeking fabulous health?
2. What food would you love to have at your fingertips?
3. Are you open to starting a garden, even if it's just one potted vegetable on your porch?