How the pandemic has got me into gardening

I actually don't remember how this started but that it started several weeks ago. I had, on one evening gone down the rabbit hole of the gardening side of YouTube and found myself rather hooked. Like a doomsday prepper is to their underground bunker. And considering the current state of the world, with its lockdowns and viral pandemic, it doesn't surprise me that a "what to plant for survival?" video came up on my feed (despite not having previously looked at anything garden related). At least, I don't think I had. Although, saying that, Georgia and I have been watching a lot of van life, self-sufficiency videos as well as a lot of Rob Greenfield, so, the category was bound to end up on my feed, I suppose. Either way, it was one video after another, and I realised that I really wanted a way to reconnect with nature and to lead a much healthier lifestyle. I guess this is just an inevitable step forward from veganism. I eat all the fruits and vegetables, and now it's time to grow all the fruits and vegetables. Why is it that since becoming vegan I've kind of spiralled into minimalism, Buddhism, connectedness to nature and now gardening and the desire for self-sufficiency? Is this something that just tends to happen as a vegan? Are all vegans bound to just become more and more hippy-like as their lives progress? Or it is just a coincidence?

Anyway, after the videos I turned to Pinterest, cause, that's what all single, middleaged mums looking for a new hobby tend to do. I mean, I'm none of those things but I am looking for inspiration for my new hobby (as if I don't already have enough hobbies). Plus. Pinterest always has great picture ideas, and I love visuals. So, I hopped on over and searched for no garden gardening ideas, because, hey, I don't have a garden. But I do have an empty, allocated parking space outside my house. It's what you do with what you've got, right? Anyways, it came up with great container garden ideas, all about saving seeds, and regrowing fruits and vegetables from scraps. And so, I ordered some soil off of Amazon, or, should I say, I got Georgia to get soil for me from Amazon, waited and started to save up reusable scraps. When the soil finally arrived, I had pepper seeds, apple seeds, tomato seeds, lemon seeds, as well as an avocado seed ready to go. I left the avocado seed hanging on the top of a jar filled with water on my windowsill, cause that's what the tutorial said to do. I had dried all the seeds in my dark, dry airing cupboard. I had dragged my mother into the whole thing by asking if I could steal all her empty plant pots, and later on, for more soil. So, I had the soil, I had the seeds, I had the pots and the motivation that I needed, so, I got cracking. Now, weeks have passed, I have several containers and pots outside growing Georgia and I a variety of different seeds, and I'm taking a Principles to Horticulture course online. Who'd have thought it? Then again, with the length of time I've had in education and the varying degrees I've taken up over the years, it's actually not that surprising to see me yet again a student. I guess I just love learning. Which is actually surprising as I hate the education system, but that's an entirely different topic altogether.

What happened was the following. Through attempting to embark on this activity which I had never planned or ever even thought of, I found a hobby (another hobby) which I truly love, a hobby that brings me joy, brings me peace, and allows me to have that connectivity that I've been wanting with nature. This journey has not only led me to have a growing container garden on my parking spot, but it has also made me realise that I would love a career in gardening, maybe landscape designing, and it's lead me to want to live a life of self-sufficiency through permaculture. I image one day, Georgia and I, having a huge plot of land filled with a beautiful and rich food forest where I collect our food and turn it into amazing, delectable, healthy dishes that bring us both nourishment and fuel straight from the ground. A plot where I can get lost in when life gets too damn hard or strange (as is now). A plot where I can teach Georgia and I's future children about the importance of plant foods, and the spiritual connection that one can attain from a greener surrounding, a more natural surrounding.

Now, I was joking earlier about all vegans becoming hippies who want to be more and more connected with nature, but, personally, it is no coincidence that I got to this place here and now from first having become a vegan 3 years ago. I do very much feel spiritually connected to mother nature ever since I gave up the meat and dairy, and began truly caring for my body by partaking of mother natures fruits. And, I've wanted more and more of that connection ever since. It kind of reminds me of monkeys and our "apparent" descendence from them. Being a Christian and believer of God, I believe in the creation of mankind, so, I don't know if we ever descended from them, but what I do know is that A) we share a very similar DNA to them and B) we being animals ourselves we too belong in nature the way they do. And so, it matters not how far from nature we wonder, just like our roots, just like our primate friends, we are bound and destined to return back to the green, back to the instinctive, back to our true home.