This year, for the first time as an adult, I have not planted a garden nor a single plant all season. This was not a conscious decision on my part. I turned the garden over, began weeding, bought vegetable seeds that were beneficial or neutral for all members of the family and... suddenly it is July... and no garden...

I began to ponder this action in my life. Even in years of severe drought conditions with minimal watering allowed I still planted at least something. I love to garden. What is going on inside of me that I let the gardening season pass me by?

Ah, yes... there was the clue... my garden this year is an internal one. I’ve been stripping away the layers to expose the fertile soil of my belly-earth, making way for new growth, new awareness, new possibilities. And as I clear away the debris that no longer serves, I wonder... what seeds shall I be sowing now? How do I prepare the soil so that what I want to manifest comes to full harvest? Will my garden be able to survive the inevitable earth-shaking storms that are such a potent part of midlife?

These are the questions I am living as I tend to my inner garden.

Today, I walked around the yard to the cottage-style border gardens I have growing alongside our house. I have not really taken the time all season to see any of the flowers and herbs growing there... and quite surprised there was anything growing at all. And I realized how I have missed the beauty of the flowers... the first green push through the soil, slender stalks reaching toward the sun, soft, yet firm buds poised for the burst into blossom. And the splay of full-bloom color that always lightens a B’s heart.

Yes, I will surely make space in my garden for full-flowering in all its glory.