Getting Dirty

I'm not usually someone who enjoys gardening. I don't like bending over delicate plants, poking at them, watering them or getting dirty while excavating holes to plant new plants. Even if I work hard at taking care of them, they still will eventually die out... either in the heat of the sun, or the cold of early frost.

Recently, I was helping my mom plant some flowers and shrubs, and realized an interesting tendency: the idea of gardening is not attractive to me because it implies getting dirty. It implies work. It implies heat, sweat, and dirt under my fingernails. But, if I set my mind to it, I relish the dirt as a sign of my hard work. I love sloshing around in the mud puddles from the hose as we try to tear up the particularly unruly weeds... I love seeing my hands caked in dirt, and the satisfaction of a woody weed finally releasing its persistent hold on the earth. I love pulling up the tiny, irritating clovers that threaten to take over the yard if not dealt with immediately. And I love "tucking in" a new plant with reassuring heaps of good soil, support, and plenty of water.

The same day, after scrubbing my hands and watching swirls of dirt join the suds in the sink, I began to prepare some hamburgers. Normally, the idea of getting my hands sticky and dirty with juicy, raw beef is not ideal. But now I enjoyed it immensely. The cold meat inched up my hand, wrist-deep, as I mixed the ingredients.

Here's the thing: If I'm going to get dirty, I'm going to get dirty. I'm not going to avoid dirt, or try to stay clean. When it's time to work, I'm going to give it everything I have. What's the point of trying to stay clean while I'm gardening? It's useless. It will only lead to half-hearted efforts, frustration at any specks of dirt that dare cling to my feet or hands, and anger at anyone who dares ask me to help.

If I expect to get dirty, I won't mind the dirt. In fact, I will embrace it.

I guess that's the motto of my summer ... Get Dirty. I want to throw myself 100% into everything I do. No half-hearted efforts. I want to BE PRESENT. To live 100% where I am, instead of wishing I was elsewhere. I want to expect to be dirty... to get involved, to be available, to say YES. It's only when I'm dirty that things truly get done well...

I'm diving in!