Finding Peace in the Garden

Your garden might be the most underrated tool you have for stress relief. We’re joined by Brittany Robinson Whitenhill, founder of Our Backyard, to talk about gardening not as a perfection project, but as a practice of slowing down, observing, and letting nature restore you.

We walk through what it actually looks like to begin, especially if you feel intimidated or convinced you “don’t have a green thumb.” Brittany explains how her work blends garden design, edible garden installation, and garden coaching so new (and seasoned) gardeners can build confidence, learn seasonal rhythms, and grow within their real capacity. We also get practical about midsummer beds, seed saving, composting, and how to start thinking ahead for a fall garden with cool-season vegetables.

Then we widen the lens to wellness and community. Brittany shares how she brings workplace wellness to life through gardens and workshops, and she defines herbalism as a holistic approach that honors ancestral wisdom and treats the whole person, not just symptoms. Along the way, we even talk about cinnamon and ginger tea, grounding with bare feet, and how a simple watering routine can turn into a daily ritual of peace.

If you want a calmer nervous system, a more meaningful backyard, and a hobby that helps you feel alive again, press play. Subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more listeners can find these conversations about peaceful living.

Transcript

Podcast Mission And Summer Hobby Rhythm

SPEAKER_01 0:04

Welcome back to the Create Harmony Podcast. Let me tell you what we're all about. So at Create Harmony, we are elevating the pursuit of peacemaking. And we're highlighting the voices of fellow peacemakers. We do that through conversations, listening to their stories, and learning about their simple practices. And that helps us explore the rhythms that really nurture peace. Peace within us, peace between us, and in all the communities that we call home. We like to live in step with the rhythms of nature, and we pay attention to the seasons and all of the ways that the seasons shape us. So this summer we're in the summer season right now, and this summer we're doing a thorough examination of hobbies. We are talking to all sorts of different people about their own hobbies, the hobbies they love, and discussing how the pursuit of these interests is a form of rest and how it can restore us to get back to all the meaningful work that we do in life. Now, one thing I'll mention here is that we've decided to adapt our rhythm of releasing episodes this summer in order to free up some time for our team to explore some of our own hobbies and some more upcoming content. So our episodes usually release every week, but this summer we will drop an episode every other week. And that'll give you a chance to pursue some of your interests this summer in between listening to us. So now let's tune in to our hobby conversation for this week.

Brittany’s Path From Hobby To Business

SPEAKER_01 1:36

Welcome back to the Create Harmony Podcast, and I am your host, Sally Burlington, and I am so excited today. We are doing a series this summer about hobbies and all sorts of things that people do to sort of uplift their spirits and turn away from their the grind of everyday life. And so today we have Brittany Robinson Whitenhill, and she owns a company called Our Backyard, and she's going to talk to us all about gardening and backyards and how we can learn to reconnect with nature and grow things. So welcome, Brittany. Thank you so much for having me, Sally. I'm so excited to be here with you. Okay, so tell us about what our backyard is all about.

SPEAKER_00 2:20

Yes, yes. Well, I will say I love the idea that we are talking about turning our, I mean, just our hobbies in general, because I like to tell people when I started our backyard, it turned my hobby into a jobby. Love that. Um, I've had a love of gardening ever since I was a little girl. I was always in the garden with my mom. And it was something that organically continued to be a part of my world as I grew up. I was always wanting to be back out in nature and learn just a little bit more about where my food came from. Have had this passion for health and wellness, um, and had gone to school believing that I would become a doctor. And when I started an undergrad going into hospitals and, you know, interning, I was like, you know what? I would love to reach my community before they get to the hospital. And it was through a love of food that I and growing my own food that I really began to think I can, I, I can create something that brings me peace, that brings me joy, um, and that that can also feed my community. And so that's where our backyard came out of. It is a garden installation design and education organization that really puts people's stories and um the power of them connecting back with nature and connecting to their food sources and and beginning to um build a love of gardening. Um, I love to say that I would love to have an organization that allows myself to no longer be um in business. If I can like reach as many people as I can, um, then there would be no need for our backyard because I would love to see folks connecting to nature in that way of building their own gardens.

SPEAKER_01 4:16

I love that. Okay, so

Garden Consults That Remove The Fear

SPEAKER_01 4:17

you said so many things that I had questions about, but we'll start with sort of how how does the process work? Like when you are meeting with a client, what are the types of things more specifically that you are doing to come alongside new gardeners?

SPEAKER_00 4:35

Yeah, so for I will say um there are both new and existing gardeners that come to our backyard. And I would say for those new gardeners, if they are interested in building a garden for themselves, if they've never, you know, put their hands in the soil, they they have an opportunity to meet with me for a consultation where we are able to kind of walk through their own desires and needs and ideas and questions around gardening. And from there, they're able to either design a garden where we do turnkey garden installations, um, or they say, Hey, I would love to try this on my own, but would still love some support and help. And I am there to be a garden coach. So um clients of mine are able to schedule consultations as well as coaching sessions with me so that they have a little bit of extra support along their garden journeys.

SPEAKER_01 5:30

Yeah, I think that's so great because it is a little intimidating. I mean, I I like you, love plants, have always been a gardener, have always wanted to grow things. People laugh about, you know, I don't really call myself a gardener and I'm not sure why, but I there's plants everywhere. Like I love plants. You're definitely a gardener, Sally. Yeah, like that. I don't know why I don't want to step into those shoes. But anyway, I um I've always wanted to grow. I mean, having things growing around me is a key to my happiness. So I really do share that love. And it, but it is intimidating. I mean, we have a backyard garden raised bed area that we had to reboot twice, and it still needs some the reboot version still needs some tweaking. So I can see how your resources are so valuable.

SPEAKER_00 6:20

And I and I so appreciate you lifting that up. I think I hear that a lot of folks um either saying, oh my gosh, Britney, I just don't even touch it because I, you know, I don't have a green thumb. I hear that all the time, or I'm just so intimidated when I grow something, it just grows out of control. And I think that is that's why I love what I do is to be able to just bring people more at ease in knowing that we are not growing for perfection. We're not growing um, you know, to become the next botanical garden in your area. But truly gardening is it's a it's a lifestyle change. It is a practice that we're able to say, I'm choosing to slow down, I'm choosing to connect with nature, and I'm choosing to observe. Um, not at, you know, sometimes for the sake of experimentation, not necessarily I have to grow this amount of harvest and this amount of pounds of food. And for some folks that is the case, but I will say overall, just starting from a place of let's just invite nature in. That's my tagline. Invite nature in, see what happens, see what sticks, see what you, you know, what you may not do for the next year, and just move at that pace and see where it takes you.

SPEAKER_01 7:32

That is so, I mean, there's just so much wisdom there. So I'd love it if you, when you were talking before, you said some things about how you help people connect with growing things so that they benefit their own health and wellness. So I'd love for you to say a little bit more about what that looks like and how that works.

SPEAKER_00 7:52

Yeah, there's so many, so many beautiful ways that I I like to tap into that. One is often just starting with your your own story of how how have you already connected with nature. Um, I love asking my clients, what has, you know, what has gardening looked like for you in the past? Have you ever spent time in a garden? Um, and I will say it usually is about 90% of the case that there are there's always a story of my grandma did this, or my aunt, or some, you know, like one degree of separation of some sort of connection, of I used to do this, or I recognize somebody else doing it. And it's it's it's always sweet. It's it's these beautiful, sweet stories that come up that bring smiles to clients. So that's one point of connection is how are we tracing it back to your own lineage and the generations that were before you and the wisdoms that they brought in their own practices of gardening, the ways that they slowed down, the ways that they just chose rest as a as a a um as resistance to continually working, you know, there's so many beautiful stories that come from that. And then it's the education piece. I'm truly like a teacher at heart. Um I love one, I love just diving into the questions that my clients have and just starting that from that point to kind of walk through these experiential learning moments where we're actually in the yard and we're we're putting our hands in the soil and we're cutting back some of the herbs and we're talking about, you know, about those things as we're kind of gardening and journeying together. Um, and then from another education standpoint, I love doing workshops. Um, so where we're able to dive into some of the medicinal properties of those the plants that we're working with, some of the um the ancestral wisdoms that the the you know a lot of a lot of um just communities have had uh from past generations of how they've utilized herbs to support their own wellness, to support their own um communities with with the things that they needed and how we can utilize those wisdoms to help us now. Um yeah, those are some of the ways that that I enjoy truly like bringing people back to that invitation of connecting with nature.

SPEAKER_01 10:17

Yeah. We have when you were talking about my grandma, I have a story like that that um we have a rose bush in our backyard that my grandfather gave to my grandmother at some point near their anniversary. And they that rose, we tried to calculate when it happened, and I think it's about 60 years old. So the rose lived in my grandparents' house and it would bloom every year around their anniversary, which was in May. And then it moved to one a property that my parents had, and then this year it came to live at our house and I put it in a pot, which might not have been the right choice, but it was in the pot and the fur at first it just looked like a stick, really. And I thought, oh well, I've killed this 60-year-old rose. But I am pleased to report that it revived itself and it has grown and it did bloom. Not right in May, it wasn't quite on time, but close. Seven weeks.

SPEAKER_00 11:12

Oh, that is that's see, I love these are the stories that I'm like, yes, hold on to those stories. And it is, it's so beautiful that there's so many stories that the plants teach us ourselves. There have been many times where a lot of my clients are like, everything's dead. And I'm like, you always have to look what from what is beneath the surface, because I guarantee you that most of your plants that you think are dead are still living. But we just, you know, there there's ways in which we can, you know, we can learn from some of those own wisdoms that the plants tell us.

SPEAKER_01 11:44

So what

Seasonal Planning And Starting Small

SPEAKER_01 11:45

are some of the more frequent questions you get from your clients? What is what are things that come up a lot? Ooh.

SPEAKER_00 11:58

It's like often it's like, can I keep this garden alive? Yes, yes. Um, I do get a lot of uh seasonal questions. So, like, what can I grow? What can I grow when? Um if I've planted the correct plants for the correct season that we're in. Um what you know, what is too much? Like for and I think that there's a beautiful movement that is happening where there's a lot more people that are coming back to gardening. Um, but for some of my first-time gardeners, they will often say, Hey, I bought, you know, a hundred grow bags and I'm ready to build a food forest. And so, you know, there's questions like, how do I do it? And I was like, okay, well, let's first let's start small. Let's start with four of those and see where we grow, you know, where we grow from there. Um so I think it's there's always a a conversation of like where, you know, where am I planting? Am I planting the correct things? And then how much? Um because that that can all often that can deter folks from continuing to garden if they feel like it's beyond their capacity.

SPEAKER_01 13:09

Okay, so here's a question for you. I have a in a raised in a rebooted version of our raised bed gardens, I have put lots of tomatoes and they're still producing, and some cucumbers, some cantaloupe, some squash. So the cucumbers and the squash are sort of done with their, they've had their moment and it was great. And they're sort of done. So do I take them out and try something? I mean, like what would be a midsummer something to do?

SPEAKER_00 13:38

Oh, yeah. No, that's a really good question. So for a gardener that is interested in doing some seed saving, there are always opportunities if you wanted to have some of your plants go to seed. Um and those that is for, yeah, those are for the gardeners that are like, yeah, I would love to save these seeds and see if that that's something that I can, you know, think about starting for a following warm or hot season. Um, so there's that option. Um, and that was remind me, that was squash, you said, and squash and cucumbers are what cucumbers.

SPEAKER_01 14:10

My tomatoes are still going and the cantaloupe is just getting started. So um, but the squash and the cucumbers, it's it's pretty, but there's no more.

SPEAKER_00 14:20

Yeah, there's no more fruit. Okay, yeah. So there's there's always the leave it there, allow for you know, some of the the other nature, you know, to enjoy. Um, but when it starts getting to a point of where you know things are starting to rot on the vine, I don't recommend that unless you're like sending everything into compost. So um, if you would love to take that out and start to prepare for fall, you can do that. Um, thinking it's a little hot right now. And and depending like where we're at right now with this whole drought, um, it could be something where you're like, well, let's let's await to start some of our fall, um, our fall vegetables. But if you are into fall like growing, there are some veggies that you can start. I'd say August is around the time that I like to start thinking about, okay, what are my fall vegetables? Like my um my brassicas, um, and then also like, you know, cauliflower, broccoli, um, the Brussels sprouts. So those types of um plants you're gonna want to start indoors. Um, and then from there you can say, okay, this is this would be something that I would place out once the temperatures cool down a little bit more.

SPEAKER_01 15:32

Okay. Do you grow things more from seed than you do from buying the plants or both?

SPEAKER_00 15:38

It's a honestly, it's a little bit of both. And especially for me with a garden as I am tending to others' gardens. I often I go the route of what is easy with me also being a mom of two young ones. Um I I've done a little bit of both. There are some um plants that are like, if I don't have the time to grow by seed, I will definitely purchase transplants. And I always am asking um local nurseries as well as um I have some relationships with farmers, um, what are the growing practices? Because that is a huge part of how I um how I grow. And then also when I am installing other gardens, we always take organic practices. Um it doesn't necessarily have to be organically certified, but um we're we are as you can. As much as we can. Um, and so for me, it's a little bit of both. I do I both do both seeds and transplants. But there are there are plants that I do recommend that I would say don't go out and buy a transplant. Definitely seed. Um a lot of our like our our salad greens, you'll see at nurseries, there's these, you know, beautiful, you know, bowls of salad greens. I'm like, that can easily put those in, you know, put those in the ground, you will see sprouts within a few weeks. Um, so that for me is that's one example of where I would say just go ahead and buy the seeds.

SPEAKER_01 17:09

Okay. I don't have all that much luck with growing things from seed. That I feel like I can get a a good little microgreen going, and then somewhere along the line, it's it doesn't go from a microgreen to a plant, but okay. I'm missing a step somewhere. Well, that's why I'm here.

SPEAKER_00 17:27

Here to always help.

SPEAKER_01 17:29

That's right. I don't know what I'm doing wrong, but I can't quite get there. But anyway, um, I know that you also do one of the parts of your job is that you do these types of gardens in commercial applications as well. Isn't that right?

SPEAKER_00 17:43

Yeah. Tell us about that. Yeah.

Edible Gardens As Workplace Wellness

SPEAKER_00 17:46

So um just also just from my my time outside of me being a gardener, I did work, I was in the nonprofit space for a long time and had worked with some wonderful organizations. Also was a consultant, worked with wonderful organizations where you could also see from a company culture standpoint, folks get tired. They can often get burnt out. Um, and I knew when I started our backyard, that was an offering that I wanted to bring back into workplaces, is a different take on wellness, what it looks like to invite nature in when you are at your workspace, when you are at your desk. What does it look like to take a pause and allow nature to breathe into you? Um, and so I have partnered with organizations where I come in and install edible gardens, and then we build wellness programming around those gardens. And for some organizations, they don't have that access to having an edible garden in their space, but I still come in and support with wellness workshops. Um, with me having an herbalism background and skill set, I also um am very, very mindful of how to pair company culture with some of the practices, the wellness practices and the values that that company is wanting to uplift and support, I will integrate wellness workshops around that. Um, as well as just, you know, we want our we want our people well. The more that they are well, the more that they are able to pour into the work that they're excited about.

SPEAKER_01 19:23

Yeah, absolutely. Okay, so if a company was thinking about doing something like this, what would they need to have in order for that? You can work in any circumstance, or they need to have outside access, or what do they need?

SPEAKER_00 19:38

Yeah, I think it it's it is there's there's two, I guess two invitations. So if a company is saying, yes, Brittany, please come in and you know support us with bringing a garden to our space. Um they I would definitely say like as if they have access to sun, uh light, yeah. So the light and water, um, we can we can do a lot with that. Um I would also say just um I think buy-in is important and that can definitely be built over time, but there there does have to be someone, someone that is still being able to champion the the work um and that the company is is excited about um this as a potential offering. Now that of course can be built over time, but um I think that there is at least an invitation to towards that value that's important. Um but yes, as long as that there is there's I would say light and space for something to grow and we've got some access to water, I I've done install, I'm I'm sorry, indoor installations as well as outdoor. Um so definite opportunity there. And then if none of that for an edible garden standpoint, if they're like, we don't have access to any of that, our our team is virtual, say, then I am always available for um for workshops um and incorporating workshops within um a team's wellness plan.

SPEAKER_01 21:07

So are your workshops typically in person or are they virtual or both? Both. Yes, I've done both. Awesome. Yeah, because I know that you know you are also local to Raleigh as we are, but I didn't know if it's it's available beyond the scope of just Rally.

SPEAKER_00 21:23

Yes, I've definitely I have done virtual workshops. I love, I love just creating more accessibility. I will also say there's nothing like an in-person meetup. Um and just the the exchange that happens, not only just amongst, you know, the the the learnings, but also just with one another when we're able to to have that um that opportunity to kind of dive into herbalism in that way.

Herbalism Explained Plus A Cinnamon Fix

SPEAKER_00 21:51

I think it's magical.

SPEAKER_01 21:52

Okay. I want you to say more about herbalism. What what does herbalism mean to you? Because we might want to make Sure, we'd be found that and just where how do you weave that in?

SPEAKER_00 22:03

Yes. So I feel like herbalism, ooh, uh there, you're right. There's there are plenty of definitions, but the way that I would define herbalism, it is a it's a study of plants that is are it's connected to your wellness. However, the my definition and what I have been trained in has been um truly connected, it's a holistic practice. So it is not just looking at your health and wellness from a symptom, but it is looking at the entire, the entire body, the entire whole person to then um create a a remedy or a an offering um that truly is connected to you know plant and person connecting in that way. Um and a lot of my studies has have also been um rooted in Afro-indigenous medicine. So it is truly paying honor and respect to um just the practices that um yeah, that have gone before us, um, and being able to educate folks on where these practices have been rooted and where they come from. Or what's your favorite go-to herb? Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, I have a lot of beautiful herbs that I um I love to work with. One is it can be always found in our kitchen, cinnamon. Cinnamon is a beautiful herb um that has been found across across cultures. Um I mean, we've seen that too, just in in cuisines. Um, but a lot of, yeah, just a lot of historical uses from um like working with your your own energetics. So so for someone that may have like a little bit more of a cooler energy, where and I'll say like cooler energetics kind of looks like someone that may be always cold all the time, or um, you know, are always needing a blanket or are um yeah, are are typically um a little bit more um like reserved, not not necessarily like a fiery energy that's like out and shot, you know, and loud. Um so for someone that is a little bit more it um cool, if they're like if if they are wanting to kind of ignite a fire or a flame, I would recommend cinnamon as an herb to kind of give them a little bit more ignition and and igniting some of the fire that is within. Um to either, you know, if it's that they're trying, for example, for I would say if we're talking about like some of my commercial offerings, if it's like somebody that is looking to really like bring a new offering to their job and you know, they have a little bit more of a cooler energy, and they're like, Oh, but I I need a little bit more fire to get myself excited about the work and to present. Um, I would I would that would be an herb that we would explore as an offering. Um so yeah, that I love love some cinnamon.

SPEAKER_01 25:11

I like I love cinnamon as well. That's I use cinnamon a lot. It I'm a little a few steps to towards the ADHD spectrum. Yeah, and sometimes when I get I need stimulation, but I don't want to eat something. I have learned that if I have some cinnamon tea, that will like a workaround, you know.

SPEAKER_00 25:32

Yes, yes. I don't know if you have tried ginger cinnamon tea. Oh, yeah. Yes, yeah. That that is one that I I love, um, especially around like cold flu season. Um, a a great one just for like overall immune support. Um yeah, so you know, some fresh, just some fresh um ginger as well as like a cinnamon bark and just allowing that to steep and talking about the aromatics in your house. Oh, beautiful.

SPEAKER_01 26:00

Oh, yeah. That's very warm and cozy. I love that. Yes, yes. Those are the things that we need to be thinking during these hot summer days, is thinking about the days that we're going to want some warm and cozy drinks. Right. Right. Agree. So yeah. Okay. Well, is I always like to ask my guests if there is anything in our conversation that we have missed that you can highlight about the things that you do.

SPEAKER_00 26:25

Is there anything to miss that that sort of sums you up or yeah, I would say if there are, if there's ever any opportunity that folks would love to learn more about what I do, they're always happy to reach out. Um, I am consistently doing some offerings for my community with workshops, um, public-facing workshops, so they can they can connect with me um on my website. Um but you know, Sally, outside of that, I'm not sure. I feel like we we've had some some beautiful conversation today.

SPEAKER_01 27:00

I love it. Okay, I do want to circle back to what are some examples of workshops that

Workshops On Herbs Harvest And Intuition

SPEAKER_01 27:06

you teach? That let's talk about that just a little bit more before we finish up.

SPEAKER_00 27:09

Yes, yes. And we can actually kind of list up some of the workshops that are happening this week. Um, yeah, one workshop is um it's a virtual, is a virtual offering called Soul to Soul. Um, and we were talking about what our feet tell us um in terms of our in with like Chinese traditional medicine as well as um a lot of Afro-Indigenous practices, Ayurvedic. I mean, there's a lot of um wonderful, just you you can see so much that there's richness in looking at our feet that will tell us what's happening holistically in our body. Um, and so we were um myself and my um an herbalist friend of mine, Kayla Dean's, we're co-hosting a workshop called Soul to Soul to really to really work through um just what our feet tell us and some of the herbal remedies that come along with um keeping our feet healthy. I love that.

SPEAKER_01 28:13

Yeah, so that's if if your feet, if someone like asking for a friend, if someone's feet are very tough, but maybe not the most moist, you would say black. What does that say about?

SPEAKER_00 28:28

Yeah, I mean, there so there's there that would be like a that would require like a whole consultation. Okay, like that goes that goes back to herbalism, is there would be a list of questions that we would talk about. Like what, you know, what are we eating? What are daily practices look like? Are we getting enough sleep? We will talk a little bit about your energetics. We will talk about family history, we'll talk about like day-to-day activities, what does that look like to get an overall picture of what is occurring? And from there, that is where we pull in some of the plant allies, like who, which plants make most sense for this particular um, yeah, for this particular person in their whole sense, as much as you know, and there's I'm sure there's there are questions that we can we can continue to ask, but herbalists are always, if there is ever herbalist that is not asking holistic questions, that's when we have to say, you know, that's that's necessary. Yeah. Yes, yes, I love that.

SPEAKER_01 29:27

And so then what are some other examples of workshops to teach?

SPEAKER_00 29:30

Oh, yes, yes, yes. So um I I have a lovely partnership with the urban community agronomics. They are a farm in Durham, and we are we've been running a garden series called Gardeners as Teachers. And um, we're lifting up um both herbalism um as well as garden skills. And this class that's going to be happening on Saturday is one around um how we are able to take some of the harvests from this beautiful summer season and the herbs and the abundance of what we're getting, and to preserve some of those herbs for medicinal benefits as well as culinary benefits. So we'll be making compound butters. We'll be talking about the difference between when we can use dried versus fresh herbs and some of our infusions, um, some of the oil infusions. We'll um so yeah, we'll be looking up different types of ways that we can preserve herbs for culinary delights as well as for medicinal purposes. Um, so that's that's another one. Um I have done some um, I'll say intuitive herbalism classes where we we really tap into our own senses to learn about the properties of herbs that go beyond culinary uses. Um and those classes are always amazing where every time I do them, it's amazing at how much when folks tap into their own intuition, we know a lot. We are connected to nature in ways that people are actually astounded. They're like, oh my gosh, I didn't know that I, you know, I felt this. Yeah. Um so those are those are other classes that I have done. Um, I've done classes on edible landscaping, um, how to start your own edible landscape or edible food forest. Um, what are the techniques and processes that you know that one can embark on to do that? So yeah, there's there's there's lots of ranges.

SPEAKER_01 31:30

So many good ideas. I love that. I need to, I was like, oh, I I want that. I want to do that. I want to do that, please, please come. So if if somebody is interested in workshops, then is your website the best?

SPEAKER_00 31:46

My website is the best place to to come visit. It's www.our-backyard.org. And from there, you're able to look and and find our workshops and events on the home page.

SPEAKER_01 31:59

I'll I'll I will also put that in the show notes so that people can find you because you have so much to offer. And I I mean, in this one conversation, I was like, oh, I need to, I want to know about this for me. You know, like think questions that I personally have that I would need some more guidance on. So this is so exciting. I love it. And thank you. You're being such a great to circle back to the very beginning of the conversation. Not only do you make gardening more accessible and not as intimidating, you also are bringing up so much that it, like you said, is intuitive in us that we've somehow forgotten as we've become more, as I like to say, device forward um as a culture or machine forward. Just and I always say, I love those machines. I do want to wash my dishes in the dishwasher. Right. And I want to remember the intuitive knowledge that's within me. So I think you're doing a great job of invoking that.

SPEAKER_00 32:57

Oh, thank you so much, Sally. I appreciate that. Thank you. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 33:02

You're a great guide for us to remember that in ourselves and to weave that into our lives, which is totally what what we're about. Because all of our conversations here are about how to bring more peaceful living into

Grounding Backyard Rituals And Closing

SPEAKER_01 33:14

our lives.

SPEAKER_00 33:14

And you even mentioned that, that these practices are a practice of slowing down, of being with nature and inviting nature in to your and I and I will say if we're saying like if there's one more thing to add, and especially on that note of how do we bring more peace into our lives, I think I encourage for those and for some of us that are, you know, the our listeners, they may already be doing this of going out and just taking a pause to take your your socks and your shoes off and ground yourself on the ground and just take a moment to take some deep breaths. Um, or you know, or take a walk and just sit by a tree and just notice it, or a plant. Um, there's so much that our that our creation has to teach us, our the plant, the plant world has to teach us. And if we slow down and just take a moment to pause, you will find peace in that moment.

SPEAKER_01 34:09

Yes. I love that. And it made me think I thought about this several times while you were talking, that one of my peace practices with my own backyard or garden is that I go out, we have um a well for our irrigation. So we don't, we're not affected if we have a drought. So I go out and spray down all of the plants every day because we have an issue with little white flies. And if I if I spray them down, the white flies don't like that and they'll go somewhere else. So it's a natural way for me to deter them and I don't have to use pesticides. That's how it started. But then it has it ended up becoming one of my peace practices that I'm like, oh, I gotta go out here and spray all the, you know, just seeing the water getting on the plants and it makes everything feel so fresh and it's just quiet and I just love it.

SPEAKER_00 34:57

So oh, that's beautiful. Yes, the moment the more that we can create rituals like that in our lives, the better.

SPEAKER_01 35:04

Right, right. There's there's really something to it. I did not realize, or maybe I didn't know that I knew that this was gonna be a ritual for my piece. I thought it was gonna be something that kept the white flies away, but it ended up being both. Right. Yes. When a when a chore becomes a ritual, it's like, oh beautiful. Yeah, I love that. I love that. So thank you so much, Brittany. This has just been a wonderful conversation. I know people are gonna be inspired to just think that look at their gardens with a slightly different lens after hearing what you've had to say.

SPEAKER_00 35:38

Oh, thank you so much, Sally, for having me. I really appreciate it.

SPEAKER_01 35:41

Thank you. As we close today, I hope that you will make a little space this week for something that brings you delight. Not because you're trying to accomplish something or become an expert, but simply because it makes you feel more alive. And hobbies are like that. We've been talking about hobbies throughout this summer season, and they have a quiet way of reminding us who we are beyond all of the to-do lists we make. They invite us into wonder, they remind us how to play, how to create, but mostly they help us know how to rest. Whether you're tending a garden or working on a puzzle, whether you're rock climbing, camping, whatever your hobby of choice, you can simply use these moments to become places of peace. Thank you for spending this time with us today. And if you enjoyed today's conversation, would you pass it to a friend so that more people can learn about us? Would you maybe write a review about our podcast so that it makes it easier for people to find out about our conversations of peace? And until next time, may you find beauty in the ordinary things. May you make room for simple pleasures, and remember that a peaceful life is built one small intentional choice at a time. And until next time, peace.