November 25, 2025 • 30 mins
Ever notice how a single thought can steer your whole day? We take that idea seriously and put it to work with two powerful tools: gratitude and time in the garden. Joe shares why focusing on what’s working—rather than what’s wrong—can shift your mood, your choices, and even your stress response, then shows how a living, breathing landscape makes that shift easier and more natural.
We explore the psychology of gratitude in plain language: fewer negative loops, calmer emotions, and better resilience when life throws a curveball. Then we step into therapeutic horticulture, where mindfulness shows up without effort because the environment asks for your attention. You’ll hear how sensory cues like scent, texture, color, and motion speak directly to the nervous system, why a simple herb bed can be a calm machine, and how “chicken therapy” is more than a meme—it’s a gentle focus practice that invites curiosity and joy.
From journaling prompts that retrain your appraisals to the patient lessons hidden in seeds, seasons, and soil, this episode maps small, repeatable habits that compound into well-being. Joe ties in the mission of Gardens of Hope in Perris, California, and shares real-world examples of how nature engagement supports mental health, reduces anxiety, and replaces rumination with presence. If you’ve felt scattered, overwhelmed, or stuck in complaint mode, you’ll leave with steps you can try today: three lines in a notebook, a five-minute walk, a moment to notice water on a leaf.
Ready to grow a steadier mind and a lighter day? Follow the show, share it with a friend who needs a reset, and leave a quick review to help more people find this conversation. Then grab a pen, step outside, and tell us what you’re grateful for right now.
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SPEAKER_00 (00:24):
Well, hello, and welcome back to the Healthy
Living Podcast.
I'm your host, Joe Grumbine, andtoday we're gonna be talking
about a subject that is reallyimportant to me, and actually a
couple of them and how they tietogether.
We're gonna be talking aboutgratitude and its connection to
(00:46):
health.
And we're also gonna be talkingabout therapeutic horticulture
and uh how being in nature andgardening are connected to
gratitude.
And if you don't know, um I runa nonprofit called Gardens of
(01:08):
Hope.
We're located in Paris,California, and we've got a two
and a half acre botanicalgarden, and we offer therapeutic
horticulture and educationthrough our programs.
And it's really kind of a simpleconcept.
Uh I believe that being outside,being in nature, being in a
(01:33):
garden, especially a beautifulgarden, gardening, doing um
activities that are connected toany of these things, improves
health.
And any type of modality thatyou would be to use is gonna
perform better if you're gonnado it in a garden setting
(01:59):
outside in nature, and so I wantto talk a little bit about
gratitude by itself.
So, you know, it's a simpleconcept, right?
We create our own reality bywhat we think about, and you
(02:20):
know, there's all kinds of uhstudies that show that you know
people that are negative haveall sorts of negative
consequences.
You you create what you thinkabout, you if you're complaining
about things constantly, well,in my opinion, and I've in my
(02:41):
experience, you create thosethings that you're complaining
about, and you're creating aplace for them to continue.
Um, whereas if you are live alife of gratitude, I believe
that you foster those things.
If you're grateful for everylittle thing, well your life
(03:04):
gets better, and and it mightonly be because you're aware of
those things and you're spendingyour time dwelling on them.
And and frankly, I think that'swhere happiness comes from, is
where you're spending your time,what you're thinking about, your
attitude.
And you know, there's an oldsaying, uh, the attitude of
(03:25):
gratitude is gonna bring you,you know, the best life.
It's it's just it's just thatway.
Um gratitude has been studied,you know, in in psychology,
health, um, it has shown to havea positive impact on both mental
(03:48):
and physical well-being.
And there are just so many waysthat that happens.
And well, let's just start offwith mental health, you know.
Um if you have a predispositionto being grateful, you're liable
(04:10):
to not be very depressed becauseyou're thinking about what's
good.
And anxiety tends to be reduced.
And this is something that youknow all kind of stems.
You generally will have lessnegative thoughts and and even
(04:31):
have a um a higher level of lifesatisfaction.
So if you're thinking about thethings you're grateful for,
you're not giving yourself aplace for all those negative
thoughts, you know, the the allthe negative things that want to
(04:53):
come in.
And I know lots of people, hellI'm married to one who seem to
find what's wrong witheverything.
And in my opinion, that's easy.
I can always find somethingwrong.
But then what?
Okay, so you noticed a thingwrong.
(05:15):
Now what?
Right?
You've just brought it to life,you've thought about it, you've
you've dwelt on it for a moment,you you've created a place where
it now has some energy and lifebecause you're thinking about
it, you have thought about it,and I think that um it
(05:43):
depression, anxiety, any of thesituations that mentally cause
us problems, I think start outas a little thing, a little
thought, a little problem, alittle this, a little that, and
(06:05):
then we feed on it, just likeyou know, emotions.
And an emotion will comethrough, or an urge, it'll come
through, you'll think about itfor a second.
And if you just let it go, yougo, oh man, I'm pissed off at
that son of a bitch, or I wantthat whatever is your vice of
(06:26):
choice.
And if you just go, you knowwhat, not right now, I don't
have time for this right now.
I just let it go.
Chances are within 15, 20seconds, you're not gonna feel
anything from that anymore.
But by the same token, if yousit there and go, oh man, you
know, I wish I had it.
(06:48):
I where how am I gonna go and dothat?
I've got to go stop at thestore, I gotta go, or that, you
know, that so-and-so cut me off.
God dang it, I'm gonna cut, I'mgonna get in front of him and
and stop my hit my brakes, youknow, or whatever.
That the thought, you start, youcan build a um, you know, build
(07:11):
yourself into a frenzy almost,or not even almost, by dwelling
on a thing, a negative thing.
So that's opposite holds truewith with gratitude.
If you're thinking about, wow,what a wonderful day this is.
Look at how just the sun is upand it's clear, and it just
(07:34):
rained, and it's just sopleasant to be outside.
I just feel like breathing theclean air, and and you know, you
can just spend your time in thatplace and bring yourself to a
place of bliss.
And that's uh it it it's a thingthat generates a sense of
(07:57):
well-being, and I believe thatthat is critical in a healthy
mental state, and it it's itjust does nothing but good.
So let's correlate uh beingoutdoors, getting in nature with
(08:22):
gratitude here.
And just, you know, obviously,well, not maybe not obviously,
but I would say try it.
You know, if you if you findyourself being depressed or
anxious or you know, beingbeseeched by negativity, um, I
would always encourage anybodyto start a gratitude journal and
(08:45):
just go out of your way to thinkabout anything that you're
grateful for.
You gotta have something.
It's so easy to find somebodyelse that's worse off than you.
You know, if you got two legs,there's a guy that only has one
leg, or maybe no legs.
If you can see, think about theblind man, if you can hear,
(09:05):
think about the deaf man, if youcan speak, you know, think about
the person who has no tongue,whatever.
You can just go on and on and onabout all the things to be
grateful for.
Um, you know, if you don't havecancer, if you, you know, have a
relationship, a place to live,food in your belly.
I mean, it just you can just goon and on and on about the
(09:27):
things you're grateful for.
And frankly, I suggest you dothat.
You know, get yourself ajournal, an empty book, or a
piece of paper for God's sake,and a pen, and just start
writing down things that you aregrateful for and start there.
So getting outside in nature,one of the things that I've
(09:55):
found that come to mind nomatter what, you know, there are
lots of things being outsidethat you have to do this or
that, or if the situation isthis or that.
But one thing I've discovered isthat mindfulness in nature is
easily found.
(10:15):
Being outside, being outdoors,being in a garden encourages
mindfulness because you'regenerally going to be seeing new
things, even if it's a gardenthat you take care of.
I've been working this gardenfor 30 years, and I can't wait
every morning to go for a walkaround with my dogs because you
(10:38):
know why?
I see new things every singleday.
The garden is a dynamicenvironment, it changes
constantly, and it's just asense of wonder, and so you find
yourself being mindful for anumber of reasons.
One, you watch where you'rewalking.
(10:59):
You know, if you're in a garden,you're likely in a place where
you could walk into something.
You know, you you heard of theold saying, it's better than a
poke in the eye with a sharpstick.
Well, walking around in a gardenlong enough, I've received a
poke in the eye with a sharpstick more than once.
And that was from either beingmindful of something that wasn't
(11:22):
where I was going, or just notbeing mindful at all.
And I've walked into a stick acouple more than a couple of
times.
And, you know, step on a rake,you know, forget about a rake
and leave it down, a steel rakeor a pitchfork or a shovel or a
hoe, and you catch the wrongedge of it, and whack comes up
(11:44):
the handle and smashes you inthe head.
Uh, walking into a limb of atree that's hanging low, um,
tripping on a branch or a rock,or hell, maybe there's a snake
crawling around that you didn'tnotice until you almost stepped
on it, or a lizard, or uh, youknow, just uh so many things.
(12:07):
I've got a stream.
It would be easy to slip andfall into the stream if you're
walking along and not payingattention.
And so being mindful tends tobring your mind to notice the
beauty and the intricacies ofyour surroundings, and that
(12:34):
heightened awareness can lead toan appreciation for the natural
world where it becomes easierand easier to find gratitude.
You know, I'll see a flower,I'll see a butterfly, I'll see a
bird, I'll see a lizard, a fish,uh, you know, a rainbow, water
(12:56):
glistening on a leaf.
I mean, there's just so manybeautiful things I've seen in
the garden.
And to just take a moment andsay, wow, that was amazing.
I'm grateful for that.
Um I don't know.
I think that's that's a that's apowerful um uh it it's it's it's
(13:21):
a powerful statement that saysif you got nothing else from
going into the garden but alittle bit of mindfulness and an
awareness of the things that arebeautiful in the garden, it'd be
worth it.
Um another element, and this issomething that we're working on
(13:41):
in building what we're callingsensory gardens, but it's a
sensory engagement, you know.
Um nature comes in so many ways,so many um facets of nature that
uh the sights and sounds andsmells um it they can evoke
(14:05):
feelings of joy and gratitude asyou connect with the environment
on different sensory levels.
And you know, it's somethingthat people don't realize, but
you've got a limbic system thatconnects your brain um to smell.
And have you, I don't know ifyou've ever noticed, but there
(14:26):
are certain smells that willtrigger a memory.
Um, you know, maybe yourgrandmother used to have
lavender in her garden, andanytime you come around
lavender, all of a sudden you'relike, oh, I I remember my my
grandma's garden or whatever.
There's so many different smellsthat a garden can produce.
(14:51):
Um, and even how the tactileelement, you know, feeling a
soft furry leaf or a smooth,sleek leaf, or a flower, or you
know, an animal.
There's just so many differenttactile senses or or or
(15:13):
sensations.
Um you can smell so manydifferent things, just the the
sight, the colors, the theshapes, uh motion, you know,
watching something run or fly.
Uh even things like insects, youknow, watching a preying mantis
or a butterfly or a stink bug ora spider.
(15:36):
Um just just watching them moveand and just be what they are.
It's pretty incredible.
We got a tortoise, and it's socool just watching this thing
move around.
He's like this dinosaur, and andwatching him eat and drink and
run and walk and just be atortoise.
And it's just it brings um itbrings joy, and that and that is
(16:02):
something to be grateful for.
Chickens are another thing.
I I think that chicken therapyis um is a real thing.
And we're hoping to uh get somefunding or donations to uh build
a nice aviary.
We've got a chicken coop rightnow, but it's kind of it's a
demonstration of buildingsomething out of something else.
(16:25):
It was kind of a um uh a scrapproject, and it's functional,
but it's not something I canreally bring a lot of people
into because it's kind of low tothe ground, and it's just kind
of a hazard.
Anyways, we're looking to uhbuild a nice aviary where uh
it'll be tall and have anantechamber where you can walk
(16:48):
in and not have not let anythingout and have seats and perches
and and water feature and uhlighting and just really be a an
enjoyable place.
But they say watching chickensum just behave running around
(17:56):
scratching and pecking at thingsis also very therapeutic.
Um you know gratitude is is gota lot of um tangible benefits
(19:09):
beyond just feeling better, umhaving you know positive
thoughts and less negativethoughts, it can increase
resilience, um helping people tocope better with stress and
adversity.
You know, if if you're out therehaving a crappy day and thinking
(19:31):
about all the crappy things thathave happened, and something
comes along and hits you,blindsides you in some way,
whether it's physically ormentally or emotionally,
sometimes you can spiral into acrappy place and just say, you
know what, forget it.
I'm not doing this anymore.
(19:51):
Um, make some bad choices.
Um, you know, there's just somany different elements of this
mindset that can just knock youdown and keep you there.
Whereas if you're having apositive day, if you wake up and
say, hey, today's gonna be agreat day, I'm gonna look at
(20:14):
everything good.
And when something challengingcomes along and you're busy
focusing on the good, thinkabout it.
You know, you go, ah, we'll beall right, we'll get through it.
It's not so bad.
You know, it's it it's reallyit's really the way you approach
something as to how it's gonnahave an effect on you.
(20:38):
And you can bounce back.
I don't know how many times I'vedone it.
If I've you know get up and Iwhatever, have a have a crappy
night's sleep or I'm not feelinggood, or or something's you
know, got a hold of me, whateverit is, and then one more thing
happens, I can, you know, thinkto make some poor choices.
(21:01):
Whereas I wake up most days andI'm feeling good, and and you
know, something happens firstthing in the morning, and I'm
not all worn out and beat upfrom the day, and and you're
just like, ah, we'll get overthat.
Let's let's let's move along.
And I don't know, I think thatthat's that's pretty darn
(21:22):
important.
Um I think that you can have apositive cognitive appraisal of
experiences, meaning when you'rethinking about something, you
(21:44):
can look at it in a good light.
You know, it's it's I don't knowhow many times I've had people
come up and you know, there's asituation we got to fill some
orders.
Uh I I have a company where wemanufacture natural products,
and um, you know, it's just alittle small company, and and
but sometimes we get real busy,and um, you know, my wife will
(22:08):
go, uh, oh my god, we got allthis work to do, and and look,
there's this and there's that,and she'll find things wrong.
And I look at it and I'll likego, well, hey, that's great
though.
We're gonna pay some bills.
Whatever it is that's wrong, wecan handle it.
It's not a big deal, you know.
We we get to work from home,we've got we got all the things
(22:29):
we need to make these products,and if we gotta go and make
something or somebody's gotta bea little late, hey, we'll be all
right.
And it's not that she's alwaysthat way, but I I we're not the
same that way.
I I tend to be uh an optimist,and and you know, and it's it's
a lot of people I think havethat issue of of being uh um I
(22:54):
don't know if it's a pessimistor just looking at the things
that are wrong.
And excuse me, those are thoseare the they have consequences
when you do that.
Um so I really think that howyou look at it, you know, the
(23:16):
glass half full, the glass halfempty, I really think that that
matters in um how we approachthings, how we make decisions,
how uh a scenario, an uh anaction, an activity uh affects
(23:39):
us.
And I really think that thosethose things are are worth
looking at.
And again, journaling is a greatway to sort of identify this.
And you know, if you're keepinga gratitude journal, maybe you
keep a um an obstacle journaland just try to note whenever a
(24:01):
challenge comes your way, uh,identify it, look at it and say,
well, what was that challenge?
What is that thing that got youknow set me off a minute, um,
got me off, knocked me off myfeet a little bit, and and
caused me to think a certainway, um, maybe a way that I
didn't want to think.
(24:21):
What was that?
And then look at it, and thenmaybe, maybe look at it again
and then a day or so and say,well, is there another way that
I could have seen that?
And you know, hopefully we'rewe're creatures of habit.
I've talked recently, um anumber of episodes on habits,
creating them and breaking them,and and you know, just the value
(24:44):
of and and uh the downfall ofbeing a creature that looks for
patterns and is prone to repeatactions based on things being
easier, more difficult, orwhatnot.
So most definitely uh how we seethings is gonna have a big
(25:07):
impact.
Looking back to being in thegarden and its connection to
gratitude, I think one of thethings that you see in nature is
you you see cycles, you seelife, you see seasons, you see
(25:32):
uh transformation, and you seegrowth.
And you know, if you'regardening, um you learn patience
because nothing or most thingsdon't happen very quickly in a
garden.
Um but when you are beingmindful, you will notice growth
(26:00):
and planting seeds and nurturingthem and watching their
development, um, watering them,watching them pop up,
transplanting them, all thedifferent little stages, and
eventually maybe harvesting somefood or some tea or or a flower
or whatever it is that theyultimately produce.
(26:21):
Um I think there gratitude comeseasily in that scenario.
You know, I know when I plant aseed, uh, I plant a lot of seeds
out here, and we plant treeafter tree after tree of seeds,
and sometimes they don't sprout.
And so you learn about theimpermanence of things that
(26:45):
sometimes things don't work.
Maybe the seeds were not good,maybe they dried out, maybe they
were too wet.
It doesn't matter.
I I always say, you know, that'sfarm life.
Sometimes things just don't workout.
And I think it's great whensomething doesn't work out and
it's not a big deal.
You know, you can be gratefulthat it wasn't the whole crop,
(27:08):
or maybe it wasn't a bunch ofdifferent things that went
wrong.
I mean, there's a million ways,even when something goes wrong,
that you can go, oh wow, hey,that's just par for the course,
and at least it wasn't thisother thing.
I think that's important.
Um and I I I think that it's aswe're watching cycles of life,
(27:37):
you receive wisdom, and youreceive.
I always tell people that youknow, my mentor, my school has
always been my creek and mygarden.
The trees and the ground and thewater and the wind and the sun.
They teach me everything, youknow.
(27:58):
Um, all of the laws of physicsand and the physical laws of
nature.
Um, you learn aboutinterdependence, the
connectedness of life, howeverything is tied together.
These are all powerful lessons,and they can connect to any
(28:22):
aspect of life, um relationshipsand and emotions and mental
outlook, just about everything.
And so I really think thatinteracting with a garden, not
just walking through it andobserving it, which by itself is
(28:47):
valuable, but participating,watering a plant or trimming a
plant, or planting a plant, ortransplanting, or you know, any
of the various tasks that we do,I think foster results, foster
something positive, and createsa real easy place for gratitude
(29:13):
to take place.
I think this conversation isgonna go to at least another,
maybe two more episodes.
Rather than go super long, Ithink I'm gonna clip this one
down and call this episode one,and we're gonna get back into
(29:36):
this and pick up where we leftoff and um continue the
discussion on gratitude andparticipating in gardening and
being outside, getting sometherapeutic horticulture, some
education, some nature, love,uh, all of these things are
(30:00):
powerful and important.
And I think that um I'm justgonna encourage you, the
listeners, to think about beinggrateful, to write that
gratitude journal, to get yourbutt outside and look around and
find something to be thankfulfor, find something beautiful.
(30:21):
Uh I think you'll notice it hasan effect.
So on that note, we're gonnawrap this one up.
I want to thank everybody forparticipating and uh making this
show possible.
And I think that I am gratefulfor you and the guests and the
(30:45):
listeners.
And I think that's about it fornow.
I'm a little, I don't know, itseems like I was a little
scattered today.
But, anyways, I'm grateful forbeing here and um I will see you
all next time.
You have a great day.
Well, hello, and welcome back to the Healthy
Living Podcast.
I'm your host, Joe Grumbine, andtoday we're gonna be talking
about a subject that is reallyimportant to me, and actually a
couple of them and how they tietogether.
We're gonna be talking aboutgratitude and its connection to
(00:46):
health.
And we're also gonna be talkingabout therapeutic horticulture
and uh how being in nature andgardening are connected to
gratitude.
And if you don't know, um I runa nonprofit called Gardens of
(01:08):
Hope.
We're located in Paris,California, and we've got a two
and a half acre botanicalgarden, and we offer therapeutic
horticulture and educationthrough our programs.
And it's really kind of a simpleconcept.
Uh I believe that being outside,being in nature, being in a
(01:33):
garden, especially a beautifulgarden, gardening, doing um
activities that are connected toany of these things, improves
health.
And any type of modality thatyou would be to use is gonna
perform better if you're gonnado it in a garden setting
(01:59):
outside in nature, and so I wantto talk a little bit about
gratitude by itself.
So, you know, it's a simpleconcept, right?
We create our own reality bywhat we think about, and you
(02:20):
know, there's all kinds of uhstudies that show that you know
people that are negative haveall sorts of negative
consequences.
You you create what you thinkabout, you if you're complaining
about things constantly, well,in my opinion, and I've in my
(02:41):
experience, you create thosethings that you're complaining
about, and you're creating aplace for them to continue.
Um, whereas if you are live alife of gratitude, I believe
that you foster those things.
If you're grateful for everylittle thing, well your life
(03:04):
gets better, and and it mightonly be because you're aware of
those things and you're spendingyour time dwelling on them.
And and frankly, I think that'swhere happiness comes from, is
where you're spending your time,what you're thinking about, your
attitude.
And you know, there's an oldsaying, uh, the attitude of
(03:25):
gratitude is gonna bring you,you know, the best life.
It's it's just it's just thatway.
Um gratitude has been studied,you know, in in psychology,
health, um, it has shown to havea positive impact on both mental
(03:48):
and physical well-being.
And there are just so many waysthat that happens.
And well, let's just start offwith mental health, you know.
Um if you have a predispositionto being grateful, you're liable
(04:10):
to not be very depressed becauseyou're thinking about what's
good.
And anxiety tends to be reduced.
And this is something that youknow all kind of stems.
You generally will have lessnegative thoughts and and even
(04:31):
have a um a higher level of lifesatisfaction.
So if you're thinking about thethings you're grateful for,
you're not giving yourself aplace for all those negative
thoughts, you know, the the allthe negative things that want to
(04:53):
come in.
And I know lots of people, hellI'm married to one who seem to
find what's wrong witheverything.
And in my opinion, that's easy.
I can always find somethingwrong.
But then what?
Okay, so you noticed a thingwrong.
(05:15):
Now what?
Right?
You've just brought it to life,you've thought about it, you've
you've dwelt on it for a moment,you you've created a place where
it now has some energy and lifebecause you're thinking about
it, you have thought about it,and I think that um it
(05:43):
depression, anxiety, any of thesituations that mentally cause
us problems, I think start outas a little thing, a little
thought, a little problem, alittle this, a little that, and
(06:05):
then we feed on it, just likeyou know, emotions.
And an emotion will comethrough, or an urge, it'll come
through, you'll think about itfor a second.
And if you just let it go, yougo, oh man, I'm pissed off at
that son of a bitch, or I wantthat whatever is your vice of
(06:26):
choice.
And if you just go, you knowwhat, not right now, I don't
have time for this right now.
I just let it go.
Chances are within 15, 20seconds, you're not gonna feel
anything from that anymore.
But by the same token, if yousit there and go, oh man, you
know, I wish I had it.
(06:48):
I where how am I gonna go and dothat?
I've got to go stop at thestore, I gotta go, or that, you
know, that so-and-so cut me off.
God dang it, I'm gonna cut, I'mgonna get in front of him and
and stop my hit my brakes, youknow, or whatever.
That the thought, you start, youcan build a um, you know, build
(07:11):
yourself into a frenzy almost,or not even almost, by dwelling
on a thing, a negative thing.
So that's opposite holds truewith with gratitude.
If you're thinking about, wow,what a wonderful day this is.
Look at how just the sun is upand it's clear, and it just
(07:34):
rained, and it's just sopleasant to be outside.
I just feel like breathing theclean air, and and you know, you
can just spend your time in thatplace and bring yourself to a
place of bliss.
And that's uh it it it's a thingthat generates a sense of
(07:57):
well-being, and I believe thatthat is critical in a healthy
mental state, and it it's itjust does nothing but good.
So let's correlate uh beingoutdoors, getting in nature with
(08:22):
gratitude here.
And just, you know, obviously,well, not maybe not obviously,
but I would say try it.
You know, if you if you findyourself being depressed or
anxious or you know, beingbeseeched by negativity, um, I
would always encourage anybodyto start a gratitude journal and
(08:45):
just go out of your way to thinkabout anything that you're
grateful for.
You gotta have something.
It's so easy to find somebodyelse that's worse off than you.
You know, if you got two legs,there's a guy that only has one
leg, or maybe no legs.
If you can see, think about theblind man, if you can hear,
(09:05):
think about the deaf man, if youcan speak, you know, think about
the person who has no tongue,whatever.
You can just go on and on and onabout all the things to be
grateful for.
Um, you know, if you don't havecancer, if you, you know, have a
relationship, a place to live,food in your belly.
I mean, it just you can just goon and on and on about the
(09:27):
things you're grateful for.
And frankly, I suggest you dothat.
You know, get yourself ajournal, an empty book, or a
piece of paper for God's sake,and a pen, and just start
writing down things that you aregrateful for and start there.
So getting outside in nature,one of the things that I've
(09:55):
found that come to mind nomatter what, you know, there are
lots of things being outsidethat you have to do this or
that, or if the situation isthis or that.
But one thing I've discovered isthat mindfulness in nature is
easily found.
(10:15):
Being outside, being outdoors,being in a garden encourages
mindfulness because you'regenerally going to be seeing new
things, even if it's a gardenthat you take care of.
I've been working this gardenfor 30 years, and I can't wait
every morning to go for a walkaround with my dogs because you
(10:38):
know why?
I see new things every singleday.
The garden is a dynamicenvironment, it changes
constantly, and it's just asense of wonder, and so you find
yourself being mindful for anumber of reasons.
One, you watch where you'rewalking.
(10:59):
You know, if you're in a garden,you're likely in a place where
you could walk into something.
You know, you you heard of theold saying, it's better than a
poke in the eye with a sharpstick.
Well, walking around in a gardenlong enough, I've received a
poke in the eye with a sharpstick more than once.
And that was from either beingmindful of something that wasn't
(11:22):
where I was going, or just notbeing mindful at all.
And I've walked into a stick acouple more than a couple of
times.
And, you know, step on a rake,you know, forget about a rake
and leave it down, a steel rakeor a pitchfork or a shovel or a
hoe, and you catch the wrongedge of it, and whack comes up
(11:44):
the handle and smashes you inthe head.
Uh, walking into a limb of atree that's hanging low, um,
tripping on a branch or a rock,or hell, maybe there's a snake
crawling around that you didn'tnotice until you almost stepped
on it, or a lizard, or uh, youknow, just uh so many things.
(12:07):
I've got a stream.
It would be easy to slip andfall into the stream if you're
walking along and not payingattention.
And so being mindful tends tobring your mind to notice the
beauty and the intricacies ofyour surroundings, and that
(12:34):
heightened awareness can lead toan appreciation for the natural
world where it becomes easierand easier to find gratitude.
You know, I'll see a flower,I'll see a butterfly, I'll see a
bird, I'll see a lizard, a fish,uh, you know, a rainbow, water
(12:56):
glistening on a leaf.
I mean, there's just so manybeautiful things I've seen in
the garden.
And to just take a moment andsay, wow, that was amazing.
I'm grateful for that.
Um I don't know.
I think that's that's a that's apowerful um uh it it's it's it's
(13:21):
a powerful statement that saysif you got nothing else from
going into the garden but alittle bit of mindfulness and an
awareness of the things that arebeautiful in the garden, it'd be
worth it.
Um another element, and this issomething that we're working on
(13:41):
in building what we're callingsensory gardens, but it's a
sensory engagement, you know.
Um nature comes in so many ways,so many um facets of nature that
uh the sights and sounds andsmells um it they can evoke
(14:05):
feelings of joy and gratitude asyou connect with the environment
on different sensory levels.
And you know, it's somethingthat people don't realize, but
you've got a limbic system thatconnects your brain um to smell.
And have you, I don't know ifyou've ever noticed, but there
(14:26):
are certain smells that willtrigger a memory.
Um, you know, maybe yourgrandmother used to have
lavender in her garden, andanytime you come around
lavender, all of a sudden you'relike, oh, I I remember my my
grandma's garden or whatever.
There's so many different smellsthat a garden can produce.
(14:51):
Um, and even how the tactileelement, you know, feeling a
soft furry leaf or a smooth,sleek leaf, or a flower, or you
know, an animal.
There's just so many differenttactile senses or or or
(15:13):
sensations.
Um you can smell so manydifferent things, just the the
sight, the colors, the theshapes, uh motion, you know,
watching something run or fly.
Uh even things like insects, youknow, watching a preying mantis
or a butterfly or a stink bug ora spider.
(15:36):
Um just just watching them moveand and just be what they are.
It's pretty incredible.
We got a tortoise, and it's socool just watching this thing
move around.
He's like this dinosaur, and andwatching him eat and drink and
run and walk and just be atortoise.
And it's just it brings um itbrings joy, and that and that is
(16:02):
something to be grateful for.
Chickens are another thing.
I I think that chicken therapyis um is a real thing.
And we're hoping to uh get somefunding or donations to uh build
a nice aviary.
We've got a chicken coop rightnow, but it's kind of it's a
demonstration of buildingsomething out of something else.
(16:25):
It was kind of a um uh a scrapproject, and it's functional,
but it's not something I canreally bring a lot of people
into because it's kind of low tothe ground, and it's just kind
of a hazard.
Anyways, we're looking to uhbuild a nice aviary where uh
it'll be tall and have anantechamber where you can walk
(16:48):
in and not have not let anythingout and have seats and perches
and and water feature and uhlighting and just really be a an
enjoyable place.
But they say watching chickensum just behave running around
(17:56):
scratching and pecking at thingsis also very therapeutic.
Um you know gratitude is is gota lot of um tangible benefits
(19:09):
beyond just feeling better, umhaving you know positive
thoughts and less negativethoughts, it can increase
resilience, um helping people tocope better with stress and
adversity.
You know, if if you're out therehaving a crappy day and thinking
(19:31):
about all the crappy things thathave happened, and something
comes along and hits you,blindsides you in some way,
whether it's physically ormentally or emotionally,
sometimes you can spiral into acrappy place and just say, you
know what, forget it.
I'm not doing this anymore.
(19:51):
Um, make some bad choices.
Um, you know, there's just somany different elements of this
mindset that can just knock youdown and keep you there.
Whereas if you're having apositive day, if you wake up and
say, hey, today's gonna be agreat day, I'm gonna look at
(20:14):
everything good.
And when something challengingcomes along and you're busy
focusing on the good, thinkabout it.
You know, you go, ah, we'll beall right, we'll get through it.
It's not so bad.
You know, it's it it's reallyit's really the way you approach
something as to how it's gonnahave an effect on you.
(20:38):
And you can bounce back.
I don't know how many times I'vedone it.
If I've you know get up and Iwhatever, have a have a crappy
night's sleep or I'm not feelinggood, or or something's you
know, got a hold of me, whateverit is, and then one more thing
happens, I can, you know, thinkto make some poor choices.
(21:01):
Whereas I wake up most days andI'm feeling good, and and you
know, something happens firstthing in the morning, and I'm
not all worn out and beat upfrom the day, and and you're
just like, ah, we'll get overthat.
Let's let's let's move along.
And I don't know, I think thatthat's that's pretty darn
(21:22):
important.
Um I think that you can have apositive cognitive appraisal of
experiences, meaning when you'rethinking about something, you
(21:44):
can look at it in a good light.
You know, it's it's I don't knowhow many times I've had people
come up and you know, there's asituation we got to fill some
orders.
Uh I I have a company where wemanufacture natural products,
and um, you know, it's just alittle small company, and and
but sometimes we get real busy,and um, you know, my wife will
(22:08):
go, uh, oh my god, we got allthis work to do, and and look,
there's this and there's that,and she'll find things wrong.
And I look at it and I'll likego, well, hey, that's great
though.
We're gonna pay some bills.
Whatever it is that's wrong, wecan handle it.
It's not a big deal, you know.
We we get to work from home,we've got we got all the things
(22:29):
we need to make these products,and if we gotta go and make
something or somebody's gotta bea little late, hey, we'll be all
right.
And it's not that she's alwaysthat way, but I I we're not the
same that way.
I I tend to be uh an optimist,and and you know, and it's it's
a lot of people I think havethat issue of of being uh um I
(22:54):
don't know if it's a pessimistor just looking at the things
that are wrong.
And excuse me, those are thoseare the they have consequences
when you do that.
Um so I really think that howyou look at it, you know, the
(23:16):
glass half full, the glass halfempty, I really think that that
matters in um how we approachthings, how we make decisions,
how uh a scenario, an uh anaction, an activity uh affects
(23:39):
us.
And I really think that thosethose things are are worth
looking at.
And again, journaling is a greatway to sort of identify this.
And you know, if you're keepinga gratitude journal, maybe you
keep a um an obstacle journaland just try to note whenever a
(24:01):
challenge comes your way, uh,identify it, look at it and say,
well, what was that challenge?
What is that thing that got youknow set me off a minute, um,
got me off, knocked me off myfeet a little bit, and and
caused me to think a certainway, um, maybe a way that I
didn't want to think.
(24:21):
What was that?
And then look at it, and thenmaybe, maybe look at it again
and then a day or so and say,well, is there another way that
I could have seen that?
And you know, hopefully we'rewe're creatures of habit.
I've talked recently, um anumber of episodes on habits,
creating them and breaking them,and and you know, just the value
(24:44):
of and and uh the downfall ofbeing a creature that looks for
patterns and is prone to repeatactions based on things being
easier, more difficult, orwhatnot.
So most definitely uh how we seethings is gonna have a big
(25:07):
impact.
Looking back to being in thegarden and its connection to
gratitude, I think one of thethings that you see in nature is
you you see cycles, you seelife, you see seasons, you see
(25:32):
uh transformation, and you seegrowth.
And you know, if you'regardening, um you learn patience
because nothing or most thingsdon't happen very quickly in a
garden.
Um but when you are beingmindful, you will notice growth
(26:00):
and planting seeds and nurturingthem and watching their
development, um, watering them,watching them pop up,
transplanting them, all thedifferent little stages, and
eventually maybe harvesting somefood or some tea or or a flower
or whatever it is that theyultimately produce.
(26:21):
Um I think there gratitude comeseasily in that scenario.
You know, I know when I plant aseed, uh, I plant a lot of seeds
out here, and we plant treeafter tree after tree of seeds,
and sometimes they don't sprout.
And so you learn about theimpermanence of things that
(26:45):
sometimes things don't work.
Maybe the seeds were not good,maybe they dried out, maybe they
were too wet.
It doesn't matter.
I I always say, you know, that'sfarm life.
Sometimes things just don't workout.
And I think it's great whensomething doesn't work out and
it's not a big deal.
You know, you can be gratefulthat it wasn't the whole crop,
(27:08):
or maybe it wasn't a bunch ofdifferent things that went
wrong.
I mean, there's a million ways,even when something goes wrong,
that you can go, oh wow, hey,that's just par for the course,
and at least it wasn't thisother thing.
I think that's important.
Um and I I I think that it's aswe're watching cycles of life,
(27:37):
you receive wisdom, and youreceive.
I always tell people that youknow, my mentor, my school has
always been my creek and mygarden.
The trees and the ground and thewater and the wind and the sun.
They teach me everything, youknow.
(27:58):
Um, all of the laws of physicsand and the physical laws of
nature.
Um, you learn aboutinterdependence, the
connectedness of life, howeverything is tied together.
These are all powerful lessons,and they can connect to any
(28:22):
aspect of life, um relationshipsand and emotions and mental
outlook, just about everything.
And so I really think thatinteracting with a garden, not
just walking through it andobserving it, which by itself is
(28:47):
valuable, but participating,watering a plant or trimming a
plant, or planting a plant, ortransplanting, or you know, any
of the various tasks that we do,I think foster results, foster
something positive, and createsa real easy place for gratitude
(29:13):
to take place.
I think this conversation isgonna go to at least another,
maybe two more episodes.
Rather than go super long, Ithink I'm gonna clip this one
down and call this episode one,and we're gonna get back into
(29:36):
this and pick up where we leftoff and um continue the
discussion on gratitude andparticipating in gardening and
being outside, getting sometherapeutic horticulture, some
education, some nature, love,uh, all of these things are
(30:00):
powerful and important.
And I think that um I'm justgonna encourage you, the
listeners, to think about beinggrateful, to write that
gratitude journal, to get yourbutt outside and look around and
find something to be thankfulfor, find something beautiful.
(30:21):
Uh I think you'll notice it hasan effect.
So on that note, we're gonnawrap this one up.
I want to thank everybody forparticipating and uh making this
show possible.
And I think that I am gratefulfor you and the guests and the
(30:45):
listeners.
And I think that's about it fornow.
I'm a little, I don't know, itseems like I was a little
scattered today.
But, anyways, I'm grateful forbeing here and um I will see you
all next time.
You have a great day.
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