[ Rooftop Gardening : Nature and Nurture ]
It seems as though the pandemic is a black cloud looming over our heads. A cloud that came and never went away. But people never really let that be the end of the world even though it quite literally felt like it. We were quick to adapt, improvise and overcome. It didn’t take long for us to pierce through the impenetrable dark cloud so we could rain some sunshine on ourselves for a change. Our true colors shone and we found our true selves amongst all the hobbies.
The most Therapeutic hobby has to be gardening. For you are in tune with mother nature. Anyone under the sun can appreciate the hue of green. It just seems to have a naturally calming aura emanating, it is almost enchanting, the effect of looking at a beautifully placed and maintained garden or even a plant.
You are at liberty to incorporate your own personality into a little space through arranging, procuring and growing your mini or fullsized rooftop garden. –
Without looking at the hobby of gardening through a microscope, one might find a plethora of therapeutic and beneficial attributes to picking up such a way to pass time and incorporate into your lifestyle. As you Nurture life in your arms you learn how to be delicate, precise and even punctual if you take care of a high-maintenance garden. Either way you acquire skills that could be deemed crucial to building a more healthy lifestyle through keeping you grounded both spiritually and physically.
Not only are you nurturing nature itself but nature is nurturing you in turn. While you provide sustenance for your happy little garden, your garden supplies you with fresh breath, incredible aromas and beautiful sceneries. Their greenery and vibrant colors are a living testament to your very own love, affection and care. You are at liberty to incorporate your own personality into a little space through arranging, procuring and growing your mini or fullsized rooftop garden.
Personally I can safely say sometimes all it took for a refreshing change in life was spending time with nature. It is almost poetic taking care of a rooftop garden, where at one point you are taking care of it and in turn, it takes care of you. Providing you all it can from just being present in the atmosphere you have created for yourself.
Upon interacting with a couple of people who dabble in gardening, we were able to gather some insight from the mind of a couple of avid gardeners. The opinions and thoughts held some likeness and contrast at the same time. Mrs. Sonia Haque, a young Teacher from DPS STS junior, says even before the pandemic she had taken part in gardening prior to officially getting into this line of hobby herself. She says it was mainly her mother who had inspired her to get involved in gardening. It simply just not was one person in her life.
It seems as though anyone who is going through a transitional period in their life or just growing older have in some way dedicated a piece of their life to taking care of their own personal little gardens. It is however, not necessarily factual that this hobby is solely for the older people but to anyone who is maturing and is simply growing as a person.
Additionally, nurturing routinely for anything that holds life within itself be it animals or plants can teach a great deal about being thoughtful and maturing as a more self aware and alert human being. She says it always made her feel at home. Caring for her plants was almost instinctive as she had a green thumb. She had passively observed her family members maintaining their own garden.
She was already good at gardening from the get go and she almost instantly had a knack for it when she took up the hobby. She found it very relaxing from the start and never had any ailments in acquiring the skill set that she needed to acquire overtime for gardening.
Tasfia Ahmed, a third year student from BRAC university. Very much like the other person had taken up gardening by being inspired through her family. She says she had been in and out of this hobby quite often and had finally settled in and committed in the beginning of the pandemic. That, however, between the two people had been the only alignment in terms of inspiration.
This hobby was quite stressful for Tasfia, she says, as she had not been able to passively acquire the skill set of taking care of a plant through observation of her close ones. In her defense she had been trying the hobby on and off and was never really able to fully commit. Additionally she worries quite a lot about either overwatering or underwatering her plants since it is indeed a very delicate task to learn. In the end when she sees a new seedling or an offspring grow as a result of her care she says all of it is quite rewarding.
Although being afraid herself, she was able to overcome that hurdle and find joy in it. That is the beauty of being resilient in doing something that you really love.
Nothing is as easy as they come. Acquiring hobbies were difficult during the pandemic due to restrictions but people have been resilient in creating stunningly beautiful things for themselves. All it took was a little bit of love and endurance. In the end, endurance is the cost of wisdom. There is no rainbow without a little bit of rain so embrace it while you’re at it! Find out what brings you joy during the pandemic, perhaps pick up gardening, it surely cannot fail to enlighten you in this stage of your life.
Author: Tahmid Islam
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