Do unto others…

Being raised a Catholic – one very lapsed Catholic I might add – there is a prayer somewhere that goes ‘Do unto others as you would like them to do unto you’. I think that is something that we should all keep in mind as we go through life. As much as possible I try to be kind to people and hope that when I need kindness from others there will be some Karmic way in which others will do the same for me. Not that I do things with any thought of reward necessarily.

Today, I went to take some pumpkin round to the gentleman in my community that I share my home grown produce with. We had a nice chat and I told him that I had not grown pumpkin before, and I hoped that it was ripe enough. He had a look and said he was sure if would be fine. It had been rather a large pumpkin and he said, ‘are you sure you want to give me all this?’ I assured him that I had the other half and at least another pumpkin to go yet. Then I said to him, if it’s too much for you pass it on to your friends. He then told me there is an older gentleman over the road from him that he knows who has no room for a garden. I encouraged him to share whatever is surplus to his needs with this other man.

It feels good to be able to share my produce with someone who needs and appreciates it. In return we have a bit of a chat and he gives me gardening advice. Today’s advice was on how to successfully grow potatoes. We talked about cherry tomatoes too. We both agreed, while they are lovely and sweet, they can be a pain to harvest as they produce such a lot and it’s hard to keep up with them. We had a bit of a laugh and I said, ‘yes, they can be a bit of a pain in the bum!’ Perhaps next year not so many cherry tomatoes!

It is so nice to feel like he not only enjoys the vegetables I bring him, but also having a chat. His daughter comes on a Sunday and cooks him a roast and the pumpkin I provided will be cooked next Sunday. She will also probably make him some pumpkin soup.

I hope that I can continue to bring him vegetables for as many seasons as he has to remain at home with his beloved garden. I have always given him compliments on his garden and I can see his pride in it when I remark on how lovely it is. Living on his own, I think he appreciates another person to come and visit and take the time to talk to him.

He asked me today if I enjoyed my garden and I said I did. Then he said, ‘Gardening is good for the brain!’ I hope he’s right, anything that can help the brain and is enjoyable has got to be a good thing.

I like that I can still do things like raising my own vegetables. This has become a real pleasure in my life. The fact that I can share it with someone in need, makes it even more special.

We both win.

Long may it last.