If you're looking for sage advice during lockdown, try hitting the garden.
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It'll probably hit you back harder, but that's half the point.
By the end of that day, you'll realise it's the end of that day, and nothing will make you happier.
Except maybe a good lay down.
In that way gardening gets your mind off being locked down, and is thus good for you.
Even though it doesn't feel that way at the thyme, or the basil and whatever gardening pun you're looking to propagate.
And yes, maybe you whinged shallot throughout the process.
But there's always mushroom for improvement.
No seriously, gardening is a great workout.
And the first thing the rookie works out is probably their back is not designed for so much shoveling.
Even though your gardening partner might disagree. Someone's got to move the compost from the bin to the garden, after all.
And there you were thinking she called you Hulk all these years because of your green fingers.
Still, once you get into a rhythm it can be quite distracting from the latest infection numbers, you dig?
Well of course you do.
Dig and bend and sweat and think about taking a break, boss, even though you're only five minutes into it.
Sure, you could have driven down to the supermarket to get your vegies.
But every time you've done that lately, you've got a text from Hunter New England Health.
Better to isolate in the garden and focus on worms and mulch and how come the only thing growing with any vigour is weeds.
Weeds being defined as anything that doesn't grow in a row, like the number of days we've been in lockdown.
But who's counting.
Once you get past ten shovel loads of compost, that ability to count falls away anyhow.
You're mind is now in the grind, as your body will remind you.
Gardening types call it well-being; fitness coaches, fatigue.
This mindfulness that comes with spreading worm poo, blood and bone can be summed up thus - Whatever doesn't kill you makes you pongier.
A heaven scent reminder you're not going crazy hearing voices in your shed.
It's just the partner pointing out more jobs.
What I've learned from gardening during this pundemic is that when it comes to tomatoes, there's a lot at stake.
When it comes to growing green leafies, lettuce pray.
And when it comes to erecting a bird proof fence at the end of the day, chances I'll be dead against it.
Or looking very much that way.
Still, gardening is an exhausting way to take you're mind off being locked down
And given spring officially sprang this week, there's a good chance that whatever you sow just might grow.