Time of RESToration

I worked all weekend to put the garden to rest. Harvested the last herbs and roots, cut down perennials, and spread fresh, fragrant compost full of nutrients around plants, bushes and trees. As I put all my energy into this physical work, being in intimate connection with the Earth, I began to reflect on how Nature knows what is most appropriate in each season to go with the flow and preserve life.

Winter is upon us and in preparation for this time of dormancy, plants are sending all the resources, all the energy they take in downward in their roots. This energy-saving strategy allows them to restore and grow back in spring. Most wild animals also adopt energy-saving strategies to face the food scarcity that the new season will inevitably bring. Whether it will be migrating, moving, modifying certain physical characteristics, or hibernating, all those strategies aim to survive the rusticity of winter.

Resting and our nervous system