Mindfulness Garden Games
by Joann Calabrese
author of Growing Mindful

The Resilient Thread

The Resilient Thread

New Moon Greetings – November 1, 2024 The Resilient Thread Let me start with this reminder – you are stronger and more resilient than you know. Even though the world feels a little out of control right now, I am here to tell you that whatever happens next, we can and will get through it. … Read more

Gather, Appreciate, & Release

Garden Veggie Pizza gather the harvest

New Moon Greetings – October 2, 2024 Gather, Appreciate, & Release Fall is a busy time for gardeners. Depending on the size of your garden it can be hard to keep up with the harvest. And we also have to be concerned about the first frost. In Denver our average first frost date is October … Read more

In Praise of Burdock

New Moon Greetings – September 2, 2024 On Burdock  Perhaps your only exposure to burdock (Arctium lappa) is when the sticky burrs get stuck on your dogs coat or your clothes. This is the time of year that is likely to happen. It can be frustrating because the burrs are definately hard to remove. But … Read more

Chaos Gardening

New Moon Greetings – August 4, 2024 I’ve always joked that my style of gardening should be called chaos gardening. Springtime plans quickly turn unwieldy, leading to a backyard awash in shapes, colors, fruits, flowers, and vegetables in no discernable order. And that is how it has always been. So, I was delighted to find … Read more

Seasons of Hail

New Moon Greetings – July 5, 2024 Didn’t See it Coming When I began gardening in Colorado, hail was not on my planning list. I knew that gardening would be harder in Denver than in Pennsylvania where I’d grown up. Water falls from the sky routinely in Pennsylvania. Rainfall in Erie, PA averages 42 inches … Read more

Poppies & Recognition of Beauty

Happy New Moon – June 6, 2024 Poppies & Beauty The poppies in my garden have just begun to unfold. They are shockingly beautiful. No, seriously, I almost forget each year how breathtaking they are. The petals look like they are created from tissue paper and the markings in the center form a beautiful mandala. … Read more

Lessons of Motherwort

Motherwort

Happy New Moon! May 7, 2024 The motherwort in my yard is already a foot high. This lovely perennial herb belongs to the mint family.  However, unlike many other mints, it does not have a strong fragrance and it won’t take over your yard. The plant is impressive, standing tall with serrated leaves gently sloping … Read more

Eclipse Magic

Eclipse Magic April 8th will bring a total solar eclipse to a wide swath of North America. If you are unaware of that fact, perhaps you’ve been in Antartica or on a media fast. Because most of us have been inundated with information, excitement, and a little hysteria. Of course, a total solar eclipse is … Read more

Time Change Challenge

New Moon Greetings – March 10, 2024 It’s Daylight Savings Time Again On this first morning of Daylight Savings Time (DST), I have a mindfulness time-change challenge for you. We know this six-month cycle of adjusting the clocks is disorienting. So you may be thinking the challenge is to remain mindfully attentive as you try … Read more

Herbs as Mindfulness Prompts

Happy New Moon – February 9, 2024 Plants as Mindfulness Prompts In truth, any plant could be a mindfulness prompt if you define it that way – a reminder to stop, breathe, and be present. But fragrant plants are some of the best as they will grab your attention when you brush against them. They … Read more