These are the corporate terms known to one and all. Clarity of purpose. Precision in process. Focus on quality. Contentment and Inner Peace. They echo much more than the temple bells or the sound of the Azan heard at pre-defined intervals usually for the divinely connect reminders. Reminders in the present work from home trend, the new normal in most professional's life chant these 4 mantra. The simple fact is to treat work as a worship no matter what religion you belong to or even if you are an atheist. Well the returns not much in cash or in kind yet only in hopes for a better tomorrow. So to break-free, to reset and rewire, all we need is a good day off, in the midst of Nature, away from the screen.
With the purpose of taking a break from the usually robotic work life, I ventured out in my beautiful garden, that had become more like a dense forest with flowering plants all set to compete among themselves to reach up the coconut tree. To have a garden, trust me, is a blessing, yet if you do not get the right people to prune the trees, level the bushes and change the mud or even till the soil, regularly, it becomes a bit of a task to do it all by yourself. Yet, a pleasant Sunday was meant for us to do the needful, we (my father and my sister) ventured into the muddy, leafy world where I was all set to learn the fine art of gardening with no prior experience.
Admiring a garden and boasting about it always would give me a pleasure, now what I learned that day was how to take good care of the same by keeping the right
ones, cutting the ones that go out of control in length and completely uprooting the ones that serve no purpose. Easy? Well, not really.
Thanks to the expert guidance by my perfectionist father, we were able to get the instructions somewhat correct after the initial apprehensions. The other challenge was using the shear as it was not friendly with all the branches. Surprisingly, it was so gentle and effortless while cutting the small rose plants or the wild grasses. I did use my both palms to complete uprooting the partially cut branches. That did gift me with slight bruises, yet I was focused on getting it all cleared. There was one thing that we learned that we need to cut a thick branch a few inches above the ground and then it could be pulled comfortably that making a hundred cuts mid way and we gasping for energy. Also, the instructions given were so focused and not based on the beauty of the plants. I was fond of the rose plants and it was heart-wrecking to see them go, yet my father knew that if not cut they will not bear beautiful flowers, the existing flowers were hardly getting any breathing space in the clustered branches of other plants. So which means, mind rules over heart when taking the right decisions for the highest good. Another lesson learned. All the cut leaves, twigs and branches were later cut into small pieces and placed around the coconut trees. So this would soon become the organic manure. So reusing the organic waste to nourish other trees was a great thought, actually.
As I watched the garden, I could see so many colorful butterflies, that would hardly get noticed otherwise, in the bushes. (Clarity of purpose) I saw the plants happily swaying in the wind without hitting upon each other. (Precision in pruning process) I could smell the mud as it showered that evening. A perfect way by rain God to bless the earth and the garden to be merry.(Focus on quality) While washing my palms, even though my palms had all turned red, I could feel a sense of accomplishment, upon doing something different and meaningful. ( Contentment and Inner Peace)
