Oprah's Got Her Green On and Why You Should Too

Green onions, bush beans, sunflowers, basil, an apricot tree, and a variety of tomatoes and flowers

In a recent edition of O Magazine, Oprah shared the good news (and beautiful pictures) of her newly created farm on her Maui property.  Her enthusiasm and joy for her garden/farm - and for the process of growing healthy organic veggies - is palpable.  I must admit though, my first reaction upon reading her article was " Really Oprah?  What took you so long?"

You only just now figured out what we urban gardeners and plant lovers have known all along?  The joy, pleasure and wonder that comes from the process of planting a seed, tending to that seed, and watching it grow (or not in some cases) into the plant it is meant to be?  The satisfaction that comes from harvesting said plant and tasting the vibrant explosion of flavor that market fruits and veggies just can't compare to?  The way stress has a way of  melting away after time spent with your hands in the soil and the sun on your skin?  

Upon further reflection though, I realized I ought to give the girl a break.  She, like many of you, has been pretty busy building her career, tending to her family and friends and maybe, just maybe - though she doesn't mention it - her early experience of farming as a necessity versus as a desire got in the way of her "getting her green on" until now too.

Delicious Patio Tomatos - that grow great in pots if you don't have a garden

What delights me though is how quickly Oprah has caught on to what many urban gardeners and farmers alike know - that the process of growing things is a metaphor for living.  That just like we place seeds in the earth, we plant "dream seeds", in the form of projects, goals and ideas, on a regular basis into the fertile soil of our lives and psyche.   We nourish and nurture those dream seeds into the "plants" they are meant to be, and then we reap the fruits of our labors.

Looking at life this way, and appreciating the natural growth rhythms and cycles affecting you and your dream seeds, including - when to plant, when to weed, when to prune and when to harvest - can help you tremendously in guaranteeing a healthy harvest of your personal and professional goals, dreams and aspirations.  (If you need any help planting, tending to, and harvesting your professional and personal dreams, projects and goals - just let me know - I'm happy to help.) 

Lacinato kale, rosemary, various flowers, and a tomato hiding behind green onions

And if this doesn't convince you, according to the fabulous book Your Brain on Nature, gardening has also been proven "to promote self awareness, positive mood, and creativity; diminish stress; and improve cognition."  All great qualities to have on the job and at home!  Additionally, if gardening is done in the company of others - be that in your back yard, your kitchen windowsill, or community garden - it benefits not only you, but creates a sense of community and encourages empathy for your fellow humans and the planet.  Considering how much we rely on our planet to sustain our life and well-being - and how lack of community can harm us - all the more reason to get your green on like Oprah too.

Now I know some of you may be saying, "I'd love to get my green on Andrea, but I don't have time in my crazy busy life to add creating and tending a garden to my to-do list".  Or  - "I live in an apartment or condo, and don't have the space and place for plants".  Or - "I wasn't born with a green thumb".  Or perhaps a combo of all of the above.  Nor do many of us have 16 acres of farmland - and the help and resources to care for it - as Oprah does.  

I hear you.  We've all been there at some point and time in our lives and it's ok. AND - we can all make a choice to expose ourselves to a little more "green time" in small ways - by buying a pot of basil and for extra credit - making a simple tasty pesto with it, by exploring a local community garden or nursery (even a place like Home Depot can inspire), or by spending an afternoon at a garden like Gamble Garden or Filoli.  We can all continuously "lean-in" to gardening and plant parenting - and over time, reap the rewards mentioned above. 

Lacinato kale (netted to keep white butterflies, whose larvae eat the plant, from laying eggs)

Romano tomatoes, basil, and flowers

One of four different sunflower types planted from seed - so excited for the flowers to come

If you are reading this and nodding your head because you, like Oprah, have your green on, then YAY! Keep grooving baby.  You and I both know there's alway something new, fun (sometimes exasperating) to experience and learn from while traveling along your garden (life) path.

If you are reading this, and remembering back to a time when you had your green on but lately not so much; or if you are reading this and have never had your green on.....

What are you waiting for??

GET YOUR GREEN ON TODAY!