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Welcome, friends!
This evening kicks off our special September series on growing a joy garden.
Joy is not a denial of our circumstances or the hard things we are facing; it is a strategic response that gives us the power to keep going through them.
As I’ve said before, unprecedented times call for unreasonable joy. But what does that mean practically?
Joy is not an ethereal mist we have to wait for to materialize.
Joy is an active reality we get to lean into. It’s a lot like planting a garden.
I’m no master gardener. I just really like trying new things and seeing what I can grow from my little patch of earth.
I love digging my hands into the soil and watching life take root.
And to be transparent, as frustrated as I feel at times about where I live currently, it is very difficult to stay cross with the dirt that is literally feeding you.
As I have been building my fall garden beds, planting seeds, harvesting, and preserving extra food (even if it is purchased from the store), it has stood out to me how much JOY is just like my garden.
Slightly wild and uncontained. Quite experimental. Full of suprises.
Built with a good bit of hard work, with a side of sass and gumption.
It takes dreaming something more is possible. Preparing and measuring the space. Installing the ground layer that will block the weeds and feed the soil. Hand-carrying about 100 lbs. of pine bark mulch one bucket at a time to cover the base layer. Situating more cardboard boxes as growing beds, filled with more wood chips and earth.
Researching and selecting seeds. Planting said seeds and nurturing them. Weeding and caring for the other yard microclimates.
Learning to think of this garden as an ecosystem and a pollinator oasis in the middle of a commercial district. Prepping an area to become a seasonal wildflower meadow.
I'm reminding myself to label the seeds better next time because some of my seedlings will be complete surprises. But eventually, I want to turn my entire backyard into a food forest.
I plan on DIYing as much as possible because a challenge embraced and tamed is such a great feeling.
And if you're new here (welcome!), I have a few additional things to work around. I’m doing all this on one leg and crutches, so I have to get a smidge creative.
Can I carry 25-30 pound bags of mulch? Nope. But I can carry umpteen buckets of mulch as both a meditation and my low-key cardio.
As I’ve said before and will likely say many more times before the end of this month… Joy doesn’t trickle down. It rises up.
JOY is an act of resistance to everything that would diminish the worth of our humanity or impede our ability to flourish together.
How to Get the Most from This Series
Through the rest of September, I will be sharing 10 practices that are like seeds. When we practice them, they can help our joy garden grow.
Growing joy is not monoculture planting. It’s more like permaculture. It’s about building a thriving ecosystem that supports the mutual flourishing of all that grows in it. Joy is in the flourishing of every part of the system.
Here’s what that means for us.
Each post is organized around a practice, a pause, and a prompt.
Each of our ten posts will be centered around a simple practice to try out. These practices are rooted in neuroscience to help expand your capacity to build joy and calm.
The pause is a short reflection to support that practice being planted and rooted in us. Seeds take time to grow.
The prompt will be something you can respond to in the comments so we can grow together.
Practical pro tips:
Make sure you are subscribed to The Wonder Habit so you can comment and join the conversation. This series is available for free.
Save these emails in a folder in your inbox.
Try the practices out. Maybe jot down the things that speak to you the most.
You cannot get behind. There are no Joy Garden grades. You cannot mess this up. It is not possible.
If you use an app like Notion or Evernote (or something equivalent), save the posts there so you can access them easily.
Bookmark this series’ page so you can find all the posts in case you ever wonder if one made it into your inbox. They will be numbered as well.
Some quick links:
You need a free subscription to The Wonder Habit® so the posts land in your inbox. Here’s a button for that.
Annnnnd maybe a friend to do this with. That might be fun too *wink*… shameless plug to ask you to share this with someone you think would enjoy and benefit from it.
Ok, I’ll see you again here on Wednesday for Practice 01 of 10!
Gratefully,
Dearest Michele,
I’ve been loving your Substack — especially this post on how to create an art practice of joy the same way you would plant a garden of joy.. Your words feel so real and encouraging, and I think my readers would connect with you too.
Would you be open to doing a simple swap Note? I’d share one of your posts in my Notes with a personal intro, and you could do the same for me. It’s an easy way to introduce our communities to each other, and I think they’d get a lot out of both of us.
No pressure at all — just thought I’d ask.
Warmly,
Lynn (Make Ar~Be Happy)
The WORLD needs more JOY!