All the garden projects!
Moment of Wonder: A giant rhododendron in full bloom. So pretty, but the bees definitely did not like me getting this close to the flowers!
Dear Witchy Writer,
It’s early Sunday morning. I’m sitting on the couch in my office, with the window cracked open. Outside, I hear the patter of rain, the whistles of juncos and robins, and a rooster in the distance.
This spring, my garden has felt like a fairy tale. Robins are nesting in the cherry tree above my deck. A baby rabbit lives in the woodpile. Hummingbirds buzz by the window regularly, and I even spotted one building a nest. The blackberries bloom, while deer amble through the grass.
It’s so beautiful here in the green Pacific Northwest, with the moss and the ferns and the big leaf maples.
For the past few weeks, however, I haven’t been focusing on the fairy tale. Instead, I’ve been focusing on garden projects.
I’m going in for surgery in a couple weeks, and after the surgery, I won’t be able to lift anything over 20lbs for eight weeks. That means no lifting big sticks into the yard waste bin, no yanking big leaf maple saplings out of the ground, and no lifting the mint pot to move it from here to there.
So, even though my garden is a fairytale landscape, I’ve been walking around, looking at it through the lens of projects.
What big things need to be moved before surgery? Do big branches need to come down now? How many weeds need to be pulled up? What should I work hard at now, because I won’t be able to do that thing for the rest of the summer?
The truth is, I love tending the land to cultivate beauty and peace. But sometimes, I get so caught up in project-mode like this that I forget to actually sit back and enjoy the beauty I’m working to create.
The good news is that in a couple of short weeks project-mode will have a forced ending, and this will be my summer of letting go of cultivation to sit back and appreciate the fairy tale.
I don’t yet know how this will play out or what challenging life lessons I will learn post-surgery, but I’ll check in here to let you know how it’s going.
For now, I’m looking ahead and seeing myself ambling through the grass, watching the vegetables and dahlias grow, and running my fingers along the tips of the ferns.
Is there anything you’ve been working hard on? Is there something in your life you need to take a step back from so you can appreciate what you’ve cultivated? A surgery isn’t required to make this happen. Let’s all take time this summer to appreciate what we’ve been cultivating.
xo,
Emma
Book Corner
The May book for the Cozy Magical Book Club was Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree, and it was so good! The group had a great discussion about indie bookstores, healing journeys, found family, and reading. This book is the prequel to Baldree’s hit cozy fantasy, Legends & Lattes. It’s about an orc, who has to take a break from battle to heal from an injury. She ends up in a quiet town by the sea with nothing to do, and then she discovers a little bookstore, reading, friends, and love. This one is for you if you enjoy fantasy worlds and found-family narratives.
The Cozy Magical Book Club will meet again in July, when we’ll discuss Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne. This is a cozy fantasy with books, tea, mishaps, and adventure. Join our online book club and meet us on Zoom on Tuesday July 16 @ 5:30pm Pacific to discuss the book.
Did you know I lead a writing group called, Cacao + Writing Coven?
This is a small-group, seasonal healing path, where we work with cacao rituals and oracle card practices to help you clear writing blocks, empower your creative flow, and create a soul nourishing writing life.
The summer session starts on July 18. Interested in joining? Email hello@enchantedwriting.com to let me know, and I’ll add you to the First-To-Know list.
Disclaimer: This blog is a resource guide for educational and informational purposes only and should not take the place of hiring a life coach, a therapist, or of seeking medical attention. No information on this blog creates a coach-client relationship between us. You are fully responsible for the decisions and actions you take in regard to your life and affairs.