From Over the Hill: It’s Not Our Fault by Peter Bloch-Hansen
in favour of what they imagine is the ‘convenience’ of standing in line at the grocery store checkout. Almost everything today is sold to be more convenient, to make life easier. I wonder then, why so many people seem always so tired, so pressed for time. Maybe it’s the modern anxiety, the worry, that exhausts them? Well, gardening, which does take time – and some sweat, is the antidote. Immortal souls or no, our being is tied to the earth. AI fantasies, however ‘immersive’ or ingenious, will not change that. Our bodies are made of the earth’s elements; their life processes are interactions of chemicals and electrical charges, so complex that our best scientists are still trying to understand them – more than a little cause for wonder there. My Point? We have awareness, consciousness, identity -- experience! So, what’s all this convenience we pay so much for worth if we’re too busy and too tired to enjoy the experience? Yes, there’s always a lot to do, even for us retired seniors, but convenience, held up as some kind of shining ideal (or idol) is a lie. And so is leisure, for those who prefer to sit back and rot away. So, gardening. It’s the labour that makes it worthwhile. Yes, healthy exercise, nutrition, the slowing down, the tranquillity, sure, but the experience, the feeling of participating in the basic processes of life, that slows and fills us, brings us down to earth, brings us home.
Today I prepped my little vegetable plot for planting – essentially tilling and ‘amending’ the soil to ensure its fertility. Including the purchase of manure and seed potatoes, that took
up a nearly the whole afternoon (not counting the coffee break). Then I cut the seed potatoes and set them to dry before planting. I did wander through a ‘pop up’ flower nursery at the plaza, but I tend to wait a little before bringing home any of the tender little babies for transplanting in my own little backyard Eden till I’m reasonably certain they won’t be kissed by a late frost. I plant mostly root crops because they hold well into the winter when food is more expensive and less nutritious. My neighbour preserves masses of tomatoes, vegetables, pickles and fruits, almost, I say, to the edge of fanaticism. But they do eat very well all winter. I love tending and keeping my garden, heavily mulched to reduce weeding, and I love watching the plants grow, mature and ripen. And I’m not ashamed to admit the process fills me with wonder and a sweet, mild joy, more than payment enough for the labour that so many eschew
Respiratory Home Services Respiratory Home Service
We provide: • Home Oxygen Therapy • CPAP / Sleep Apnea Supplies • Respiratory Equipment and Supplies
519.631.2030 x 2410 • www.stegh.on.ca It’s Time to Love Your Feet Again
Respiratory Home Se
Basic, Advanced and Diabetic Foot Care
Love Your Feet by Pam (226) 236-1810 378 Talbot St suite #7, St Thomas www.loveyourfeetbypam.com
Learn More
519.631.2030 x 2246 STEGHFOUNDATION.CA
Page 12 Boomers and Beyond – Elgin • June 2025
To advertise here contact Geoff@villagerpublications.com
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs