Seeking Space

If you are going to grow a large vegetable garden, there are certain sacrifices you must be willing to make. One is your lawn (good riddance). Another is the time you could spend doing other things. Of course you can give up on clean fingernails. But you also must be ready to give up your kitchen counters for the duration of the growing season.





All summer long my kitchen counters were covered with a rotating abundance of vegetables in various stages of ripeness/over-ripeness. Tomatoes mounded up along the walls, together with smaller hills of peppers and bowls of dried beans waiting to be shelled. Herbs hung to dry from the kitchen cabinets. Some days there was barely enough space for the cutting board, much less the food processor (to make the many, many cubes of pesto that are now in the freezer). As much of a blessing as this abundance was, it also the fruit of a great irony. With my kitchen counters so cluttered, I had little interest in cooking.

One thing I have learned about myself is that I am far more creative in clean spaces. This is unfortunate since I almost always live in the midst of clutter. But even as a child, on those rare occasions when I managed to get my room good and clean the first thing I did was sit down to create something -- color a picture, write a story, work on needlework. The same is true at work -- I like to keep a clean office and a clean desk, because somehow the open space removes the distractions and gives me space to think. What's more, a truly organized office or house means a place where the things that need to get done are done, allowing the mental space to create.

The other thing I find when my life is not so cluttered is that I am much more able to reach out to others -- when my desk is clean I sit down to write out cards. When my email box is cleared out I write to that friend who has been going through a hard time. I don't know why, but sometimes I need space to remember to care for others.

This fall has been packed full. I am (re)taking a class at the seminary to prepare to hopefully enter a Th.M. program in Biblical studies. Work has been crazy busy. There has been no clear space in my calendar and the clutter has been building around the house. What's more, my mind is never clear. There is always something to think about, worry about, stress over. So my creativity has taken a dive. That might be why I've not blogged for a while. This much I know -- it's time to clean off the counters.

The growing season is almost done. The plants have been pulled up in the garden. The loads of squash you see above are in a plastic crate and ready to head to the basement. I am hopeful that with my counters finally clear I will be inspired for a fall and winter of designing meals made with roasted butternut squash, frozen tomato sauce, dried beans, and, of course, cubes and cubes of pesto.

I am also most hopeful that in the coming days and weeks other clear spaces will open up to allow the margin I need for reflection, creativity, and caring for others. May it be so.