Gardening, Work and Love OR "Work and Love: Why Not?"

I don't ever want to get too personal in this blog, because of the public nature of this forum.  You don't keep it in your mind all the time, but pretty much anyone anywhere in the world can read this.  All those posts about Hugh Jackman?  My readership went *way* up.  Just spiked - I had hits from Russia, Japan, Hungary, the Netherlands.  I mean, I had a few hits from Slovenia.  So, I apologize in advance for when I - as I have and will again - been a bit vague on proper nouns.  I mean, pretty much everyone knows, say, who work for - that great organic grocer!

Anyway, this last week was amazing, partially because I was still coming down from that high I reached over the workshop birthday weekend, which was wild and weird and wonderful.  It altered my consciousness for about 2 - 3 days, fairly intensely, and a couple more days after that.  Part of this - or, maybe, because of it - was this sudden increase of intensity and heart at my workplace.  There were some sweet and juicy work moments.  I know - we don't usually describe our *work* that way - work is dry and dull, right?  But - well, sure, sometimes - but mostly, it's interesting, my work.  And every so often it's fucking marvelous.  After a decade, you get to have some really satisfying work moments.  I've been in interviews that almost made me cry - I mean, as just on observer on the panel.  I've cried at work, sure.  Other people have cried around me - sometimes my superiors!  A boss that cries is an unbelievable treat - you'll stay close to someone like that.

And this week - maybe because of all the genuine, new and transformative love I'd both given and received to my fellow workshop sisters and brothers - the love at worked seemed to be turned up. The love and the funkiness and the sweetness and the dysfunction (and nothing is as humorous as dysfunction at work, which is how *I* get through it) were all cranked up a bit.  Was it me?  Not one but TWO different co-workers told me they loved me.  Those very words (which, I, naturally said back, because it's true) - something we rarely - all too rarely - hear at work these days.  And why is that?  Why are people so afraid to talk about love at work?

We shouldn't be.  I talk about love at work.  I'm not ashamed to love the people I spend so much time with, to love the people who believe in the same mission as me, who have worked next to me, laughed with me, been cranky and crabby with me.  We've seen each other at our bests and worsts.  Why not just let love also be there?  But no, we don't like that.  It's uncomfortable.  I used to teach harassment prevention classes at work - yes, I did.  So I know just how comfortable we are - do you know, there's plenty of people in America who have been fired for harassing someone *at* a harassment class?  I mean, THAT is funny.  It has to be.....And if you think it's not fun to stand up in front of 200 people and talk about how hugging is not (I won't lie to you) a risk-free activity...well, you're crazy. It's really a fascinating thing to do, in fact.

Anyway, that is the part about love and work.  I could go on all night - but I know some of my posts are rather long, although they are always *hugely* abbreviated here (just as I say only about 1/100th of what I think), so I'll leave my thoughts about work and love like this: Work and love: why not?

That brings us to the gardening, which has been sorely neglected.  Boy, you can't even take a week off!  The garden always needs a little attention.  I was away for just four days and it changed radically.  One of the sunflowers is impressively high for how small it was, and the non-yellow yarrow turned fuchsia, and the slow-bolt cilantro bolted.  Not only that, the moles returned.  Yes, as you know, these are same moles that we have seen, in real time, pull the plants that disappear down a hole - bloop! - like it was never there.  The ones whose little noses have peeked way too defiantly out at me.  I mean, I am a human!  Show some respect. 

But no.  This time they went after the sweet peas, which were doing SO well, growing up a great green screen to partially obscure our compost pile.  First one, yesterday, and then one today.  The entire plant - all those really prehensile tendrils that were clutching the netting - all gone!  Like it was never there.  ALSO one of my sunflowers - just a tiny little hole in the dirt.  These moles - they are incredibly difficult to get rid of!  One of them played tug of war with my roommate.  I mean, really!

Oh, and it's here I can mention something I really found superb: I came out one day to see that the sweet pea tendrils - they really DO cling to everything that can - had reached over a foot or something and was wrapped around the lemon verbena!  Just strangling some little lemon leaves!  "No, no, no, little plant," I wagged my finger at the peas; "Not the other plants."  I took some pictures, which I have posted - hey, this is my first time doing this.  Wow - super easy! (Gotta do that more often)

Well, that's all I have to say right now about those things.  You can bet there will be additional words about gardening, work and love, because those are three big subjects with me.

I have one small addendum: a shout out to my step-sister, S, and her husband, C, who are about to have a baby (and, this weekend a baby shower I sadly could not make).  S is an avid reader of this blog - indeed, she is my most appreciative fan and for that, I am so appreciative for her - and so I know she'll get this sometime: have a wonderful shower!