There’s an insight from horticultural therapy which when we let it in is revolutionary – it changes our worlds!
It is not the size of the ground that matters. What matters is the space we make in our minds for the areas where we grow plants.
The insight means that a window box can become the equivalent of a farmer’s fields. It is all about the time and attention we give. Through the active interest we take, the physical growing space changes.
Someone who lives in a confined situation can enlarge their living space by making time to attend to the plants they grow in pots, window boxes and other containers.
Nowadays, when there are so many demands on our time and attention, this insight can support a mindset that is about quality rather than quantity. It is the quality of attention that makes the difference. In defined spaces, this quality of attention will more readily flourish.
There can be a vital link between the experience of being in personal therapy and the spaces where we give our attention. Therapy is a defined space where a therapist gives you their full and undivided attention. Whatever you are sharing, the therapist seeks to attend as fully as they are able.
When we feel really understood, our own attentional capacities improve, as well. We become less distracted and more present. In turn, we are more able to participate in everyday activities that assist our attentional capacities to flourish. There are many everyday activities besides growing which can cultivate quality in our daily living – and it is perhaps worth highlighting those that involve making, mending or storing.