Getting Into the Dirt
“It’s good to get in there and get your hands dirty” – this was something I heard from time to time growing up. Reflecting back on it now, I can see how the sentiment is expressing the importance of hard work and the belief that hard work will pay off. I have always understood this to mean that when we really get into something and get “our hands dirty,” we are saying that we are digging in and putting the work in to make some form of change or to solve a problem. We aren’t afraid to do the hard, gritty, work if that’s what’s needed. But there is also the literal meaning of the sentiment – that physically getting into the dirt can benefit us.
In recent years I have gotten more and more into gardening. I have dabbled in both vegetables and flowers with mixed results. (The poor results are often due to my impatience, I will admit.) Regardless of the results, I have noticed how much better I feel when I spend time in the garden, either planting and tending to what is there, or just taking some quiet moments to sit outside and appreciate it. It turns out this is not a coincidence – there is research that backs up the idea that getting our hands in the dirt and our bodies outside actually has positive effects.
In a review published in Preventative Medicine Reports that examined 21 separate articles, the authors found a large amount of support for the idea that gardening can improve our health. More specifically, scales looking at levels of depression, anxiety, quality of life, and life satisfaction all saw improvements reported by people compared to their original scores before they engaged in gardening groups or exercises. (See the review here: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5153451/)
If you want to read further on this, Penn State Master Gardener Kayla Oaster wrote an article titled, The Many Mental Health Benefits of Gardening, which can be found here: https://extension.psu.edu/programs/master-gardener/counties/adams/news/the-many-mental-health-benefits-of-gardening
Regardless of whether or not you have a gardening practice, or how big or small it might be, consider how you might make it a little more meaningful or how you might find a little more time to spend in that space in the coming weeks. One thing I started with a few years ago was a planter on my back deck with some simple low maintenance herbs. I included lemon thyme because I love the way it smells and I began a morning practice of gently running my fingertips over the thyme to ground myself in its scent.
What will your small, and meaningful, gardening practice be?
