I had had big plans for my garden this year.
She had been so patient with me last year during my book writing and photo-a-day challenges. I was going to make it up to her this year. More native plants to attract pollinators, a damselfly/dragonfly habitat, maybe even a National Wildlife Federation Habitat certification.
Since one of the themes in my book is how my garden was my first mindfulness teacher, I had said to my husband, “When the book comes out the garden had better look spectacular.”
Though I don’t have a set date yet for my book release (it will be later this year and, yes, we are still chewing on the title), one thing’s for sure:
My garden will not look spectacular.
Apollo has other plans.
This spring the garden passed the mindfulness teacher torch to our puppy, who is schooling me in the art of non-attachment, at least when it comes to my plants.
Apollo is the third puppy we’ve raised, but the first with a penchant for plant eating. It started the very first day we brought him home, when we set him down in the grass of his new yard and his baby legs bolted for the daffodils. CHOMP.
It’s not just plants, of course. He’s a golden retriever, and golden retrievers are known for gobbling up whatever suits their fancy. Apollo chews on rocks (spewing little piles of pebbles in his crate at night), socks are never safe, and worms on the patio after a rainstorm are a favorite protein source.
The beast swallowed an entire dish rag about a week ago. After a sleepless night of Apollo gacking the rag up and swallowing it again multiple times as I fumbled in the dark with the crate door, I was finally awake enough at 4:45 a.m. to pounce quickly and snatch the slimy mess from his clutches. Just a few days after that I found him on the patio chewing on a large shard of broken terra cotta.
But it’s the plants that I care most about. Every plant part, from the root ball up through the stem to the tips of the leaves and petals of the flowers, each and every aspect of plant anatomy appeals to my puppy.
And because I care so much about my plants, I am being asked this year to learn to let go, at least during the high tide of puppyhood.
So to sooth my inner gardener, I’ve joined Apollo in his digging escapades and have dug up a few quotes about the art of letting go:
Some of us think holding on makes us strong; but sometimes it is letting go. ~ Hermann Hesse
Nothing in the universe can stop you from letting go and starting over. ~ Guy Finley
Sometimes you have to sacrifice and let go of the things you love to move on with your life. I guess that’s why life comes before love in the dictionary. ~ Luis Araujo
Inner peace can be reached only when we practice forgiveness. Forgiveness is letting go of the past, and is therefore the means for correcting our misperceptions. ~ Gerald Jampolsky
It all goes away. Eventually, everything goes away. ~ Elizabeth Gilbert
Of all the elements in the periodic table, not a single one is indestructible. ~ Marty Rubin
Anyone who has lost something they thought was theirs forever finally comes to realize that nothing really belongs to them. ~ Paulo Coelho
Abundance is a process of letting go; that which is empty can receive. ~ Bryant H.
And in case you’re wondering, Apollo has never gotten sick from any of his foraging. I will refrain this year, however, from planting the highly toxic but otherworldly castor bean, one of my favorites from last year’s experiments.
What about you? Are you being asked to let go of anything these days? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
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Terri says
I should not be laughing, but the chowing down on worms and grabbing slimy things from their mouth is just priceless. Your Apollo is adorable. One of our foster German Shepherd pups discovered the edge of our landscaping paper and undid hours worth of work in a minute. She was so proud. I love your garden and your honesty. Looking forward to your book release!
Martha Brettschneider says
Only another dog lover would truly understand, Terri. Thank you! I hope you and your fosters are doing well. Lovely to hear from you! ~ Martha
Marcia Greenberg says
This is wonderful. I have been wrassling with baby bunnies that seem to like flowers and color–only to find out that they are not as tasty as they are pretty: red salvia, white geraniums and more. So having prided ourselves on having a “nature friendly” yard, I have to make allowances. And besides, in the larger scheme, they are not great losses. Thank you for sharing the joys, challenges and character-building so playfully brought to you by Appollo. (PS I have a birds nest in hanging plant -making it very hard to water. Another trade-off between nature and nature.)
Martha Brettschneider says
Sorry about the delay in responding, Marcia. You are so right about the trade-offs being worth it, though I must admit I plan to start spraying my flowers with deer repellent. Maybe that will prove to be a useful training tool. At this point he thinks it’s great fun when I run after him screaming “drop it!” when he’s got a mouthful of flowers in his mouth (by which point it doesn’t matter anyway, since the damage has already been done). Unlike your bunnies, I’ve never seen Apollo not finish something he’s started to nibble. At least he’s not a food waster. Baby birds in your hanging plant — how lovely!!!
Jennifer Hines says
That post was quite timely. On Friday night (technically Saturday morning), I had to let go of my faithful, furry companion of 13+ years. Nothing really prepares you for that moment and the emptiness that follows. I especially liked the quote by Hermann Hesse. Strength does come from letting go which is usually the harder choice. Apollo is very cute and reminds me of Basil. Basil would bring me presents of turtles and crickets (unharmed). The turtles were easy to keep out of the living room, but somehow he always managed to sneak in those crickets. :) Thanks for sharing.
Martha Brettschneider says
Oh, Jennifer. I’m so sorry for your loss. We had to say goodbye to our 13 1/2 year old dog last November. “Emptiness” is such an understatement. How kind of Basil to bring you unharmed turtles! At this stage of puppyhood, your comment reminds me why it’s all worth it. I still think of Spirit every day, often calling Apollo by his predecessor’s name, and remember that my perfect old dog was once a supreme trouble-maker. Here’s the post I wrote when we had to let go of Spirit (at least of his physical form): https://marthabrettschneider.com/2014/11/25/giving-thanks-for-endings-and-beginnings/