Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
Enough already. I’m tired of most of what is making the news during these summer months.
Let’s take a break from what we hear about almost daily: the war in Ukraine, COVID, sexual assaults, climate change, gun violence and conspiracy theories. Today I am going for the real dirt: enriched topsoil.
For about 15 years I have had enriched topsoil delivered to my Guysborough home from an Antigonish business. The appeal of such earth is that it’s more than regular topsoil; it is screened and has been mixed with compost, manure and sand, thereby making it great to play with and the plants love it.
I enjoy being active and enhancing my property’s appearance with lawn maintenance, flower/shrub-bed construction and tree planting.
Many of us have had the good fortune to have played in the soil when we were kids; however, I am puzzled why too many adults frown upon the concept of getting their hands dirty.
There is a common axiom: beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Even though some see just mud being hauled to my property; I see healthy activities, ease of maintenance, outcomes for my efforts, personal challenges and potential for other projects. In our times of many sources of anxiety and demands to our states of mental health, we need to have actions that give us a peace of mind, healthy activities and, I believe,
will result in positive outcomes.
I admit dealing with my yearly delivery of soil has been challenging but so is being alive. The major lesson I learned in its first year of delivery was to have it dumped uphill from where I would be wheeling. Yes, but only once, I did have it unloaded downhill from its final destination thereby increasing my efforts to relocate it.
When I am moving the soil, I do not think about the number of birthdays that I have been fortunate to have. I believe if we dwell on our age we will stifle our enjoyment of life and lesson our achievements. Instead, I contemplate where the soil will be relocated, its purpose for being placed there and the hoped-for results of my labour.
By engaging in my property’s improvements with seeding and planting I am enacting my personal environmental stewardship efforts and appreciating their outcomes.
The trees, shrubs and flowers that I have planted throughout my 15 years in Guysborough have added to the increasing appearance of birds, caused healthier soil conditions and produced more seasonal colours.
Unlike during my employment years, I don’t have bosses telling me what to do. The anticipated outcomes are mine to envision. I am able to pace myself by doing it today or maybe tomorrow.
The amount of energy I put forth is mine to decide. Once the soil is delivered the equipment that I will need is minimal. My only tools necessary for me to get rolling are a shovel and a wheelbarrow.
I am grateful to live in a community where many people are property proud. A truism is that success breeds success; so too do cared-for properties encourage others to engage in similar efforts.
When each of us strive to enhance how our land/homes appear such a message of pride carries into the public’s positive perception of our neighbourhoods and overall region.