Ep 180. Overview of The Lesson of the Leaf

In this episode, Mary Stone shares an overview of her upcoming book, The Lesson of the Leaf: How Nature, Gardens (and Rescue Dogs) Help Heal and Grow Your Life. A journey from loneliness and loss to love and hope, inspired by the wisdom her beloved brother left behind. 

She reflects on the significance of the number 180 (Episode 180), linking 1 - 8 to Infinity with the One and the number zero with new beginnings. 
 
There are 81 chapters in the Tao Te Ching, an ancient philosophy to live our true, peaceful nature in the rhythm of nature inspired the structure of The Lesson of the Leaf with 18 chapters and 81 subchapters, each combining a nature and personal story. 

Mary invites listeners to participate by sharing suggestions or stories with her via email at AskMaryStone@gmail.com. Thanks for tuning in. 

Links to related Episodes and Blog Posts: 

Overview of the Lesson of the Leaf– Blog Post 

Ep 37. Merry Season of Love Over Fear

Ep 20. Unexpected Furry Messenger, Father John's Memorial Garden

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I'd love to hear your garden and nature stories and your thoughts about topics for future podcast episodes. You can email me at AskMaryStone@gmail.com. 

You can Follow Garden Dilemmas on Facebook and Instagram #MaryElaineStone.

Episode web page —Garden Dilemmas Podcast Page

 Thank you for sharing the Garden of Life,

Mary Stone, Columnist & Garden Designer

                                        AskMaryStone.com

More about the Podcast and Column:

Welcome to Garden Dilemmas, Delights, and Discoveries.

It's not only about gardens; it's about nature's inspirations, about grasping the glories of the world around us, gathering what we learned from mother nature, and carrying these lessons into our garden of life. So, let's jump in in the spirit of learning from each other. We have lots to talk about.

Thanks for tuning in, Mary Stone
Garden Dilemmas? AskMaryStone.com
Direct Link to Podcast Page

Transcript

Ep 180 Overview of the Lesson of the Leaf

Keywords

garden inspiration, nature lessons, butterfly garden, bereavement camp, book progress, spiritual growth, rescue dogs, fear and love, healing journey, unexpected messenger, life cycles, personal stories, nature rhythms, overcoming fear, listener participation, mary stone, lesson, leaf

Speakers

Mary (100%)

Mary Stone

0:00

Mary, Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. I'm Mary Stone, and welcome to Garden Dilemmas, Delights, and Discoveries. It's not only about gardens. It's about nature's inspirations, about grasping the glories of the world around us, gathering what we learn from Mother Nature, and carrying these lessons into our garden of life. So let's jump in, in the spirit of learning from each other, we have lots to talk about. 

Mary Stone

0:27

Hello there. It's Mary Stone on the screen porch, and Jolee just joined me. Are you hearing all the squirrels scampering for the nuts? Acorns are dropping into the pond. It's been kind of a funny sound, and it is a lovely fall day. The sun is shining. The leaves are in the midst of their color shift, and I look forward to turning over a new leaf with our podcast. You may recall in the last episode, we discussed how fitting a Butterfly Garden of Growth was at the center of a Comfort Zone Camp weekend, a bereavement camp for kids that I volunteer for. Such a beautiful lineup of perennials and annuals to supplement your garden and help nurture butterflies. I mentioned the idea of shifting our visits to multitask in the spirit of completing my book. I think of it as our book, though, as our visits have contributed significantly to the mission, and I am so grateful. Thank you so much, kind listeners. 

Mary Stone

1:24

And here we are at Episode 180 hard to believe, and the number is significant. The symbol for infinity is the number eight on its side. 18 - One eight means being one with the infinite God or your higher power, if you prefer. Like the number eight that loops around with no end, zero does, too, looping back to itself, a cycle that never ends, like the seasons of nature, like the cycles of our lives. With endings, there are new beginnings. So, Episode 180 perhaps will be a new beginning, too. 

Mary Stone

2:03

I'd like to share my working title, subtitle and cover blurbs, if I could. The Lesson of the Leaf: how nature, gardens, and rescue dogs help heal and grow your life. A garden and nature columnist and hospice volunteer shares a journey from loneliness and loss to love and hope, inspired by a poem our beloved brother left behind.

Mary Stone

2:26

The lesson of the leaf will help readers overcome overlapping losses in the later seasons of life by finding wisdom and respite in the rhythms of nature and gardens and growing hope. The book, like our podcasts, is not only for those who love to dig in the dirt but for those who admire gardens and nature or wish to. And those who love dogs, which I grew to do after having a dreadful fear of them. Maybe it was unconditional love that I feared, not having experienced such love until a couple of pups unexpectedly entered my life. And so, in the spirit of those numbers - one - eight- I plan on 18 chapters with subsections totaling 81. There are 81 chapters in the Tao de Chang, which has been an influence in my life, which I have told you bits about through our podcast episodes. Although this story is not based on any religion, it is a story of spiritual growth, which is universal. It has nothing to do with her religion, same with the Tao Te Ching. 

Mary Stone

3:31

Each of the 81 subsections will have a nature and personal story, sharing how nature and gardens helped heal and grow my life as I worked through the loneliness I felt as a child and recreated well into my adulthood by choosing unavailable relationships in varying disguises. And how my dreaded fear of dogs was overcome after a spontaneous adoption of a couple of puppies, the positive outcome of a marriage ruined by the neglect and isolation of addiction to a man I still love. After every storm, the sun shines again. 

Mary Stone

4:06

The wisdom gained from my canine kids is woven through The Lesson of the Leaf. I know you will enjoy that part - those of you that love canine kids, or feline kids, or any pet of your choice- it all, relates to their wonderful spirits and what they bring to our world. 

Mary Stone

4:24

Over the five years we've been chatting, I've mentioned my book underway, and frankly, I've been very hard on myself, beating myself up really, as the progress has been slow. Does that sound familiar to you when you don't accomplish the things you hope for? I justify my busyness with the design and consulting business and volunteer privileges of singing at The Home for Hospice and Comfort Zone Camp. And these things are true, but not an insignificant part of it is fear. And what I'm afraid of, I'm not quite sure I know. And so I revisited Episode 37, Merry Season of Love over Fear, where I describe how my rescue dog Jolee's spirit came riddled with fear. And how I helped her overcome it by walking one step at a time on trails or on the road, picking her up when she put on the brakes. Each time, we went a bit further.

Mary Stone

5:15

The journey was similar with my rescue Miss Ellie Mae, when she arrived riddled with fear. While walking among the trees has been a lifelong passion. It wasn't until Miss Ellie's unplanned arrival that walking became a daily routine. Walking was the only way to calm my then-fostered dog, filled with heightened anxiety due to her first year of life. She lived alone in a cage, unprotected from the hot Georgia Sun, rarely fed or watered. It turns out we shared a history of living in isolation and neglect. She from owners, likely who loved puppies, but not dogs. I from a then husband who was married to various addictions rather than me. The first time I brought my Southern Belle for a walk in the woods was the day after I became her foster mom. She escaped from the back hatch before I could lasso her and ran like the wind. Her mangy, featherless tail flying. This isn't good. I said to myself. Being a foster failure by losing her came to mind. I didn't have a name for her yet, but I came up with Missy. 

Mary Stone

6:22

Missy come -- Missy come. This thin-coated, alien-looking blonde captured my heart with her contagious grin as she came running back to me in the sheer joy of being free. Her name became Miss Ellie Mae, and we walked four to five miles daily, moving forward one step at a time, healing and growing in our trust and love for one another. I ended the story about my Unexpected Furry Messenger in Episode 20, and you may recall that it also included a story about Father John's Memorial Garden that is where I adopted Jolee five months after helping Ellie go home. And I wrote: Through my Unexpected, Furry Messenger, I've learned that curiosity and gusto for learning can take over fear and bring you to a place of trust, love, and joy, a place to run free in a field beyond the boundaries of isolation. Together, Ellie and I have journeyed through recovery, accepting some of our stretch marks as permanent. 

Mary Stone

7:25

I'm embarrassed to say how many versions of the outline and book I have written, but I'm starting a new page, which may be nutty, having done this so many times, here I go with self-doubt and limiting beliefs again -- those dang scars from the past, or, as I called them, stretch marks. I think we should be done with that, all of us because this is not about us. Life is about sharing our insights and wisdom gained and serving others to help make this Garden of Life a more peaceful, healthy, happier place. 

MS

Mary Stone

7:56

When you think about it, there's only fear and love. Other feelings are subsets of them. Worry, anger, and anxiety, for example, stem from fear, as does not feeling good enough about yourself and feeling doubtful about your future and the future of our country and world - all limiting beliefs that can paralyze us from moving forward in joy. In contrast, there's kindness and generosity based on love. So is hope. Imagine if we lived without judgment and looked at every situation causing stress and fear as an opportunity to demonstrate love. What a beautiful and peaceful garden of life it would be. And that includes loving ourselves enough to let go of self-doubt. I'd like to think of it as a work in progress for me. Thanks to you, kind listeners for helping I hope my journey resonates with you and helps you too. 

Mary Stone

8:49

I'd like to revisit the origin of The Lesson of the Leaf by sharing a post written on January 1, 2014, soon after my beloved brother passed away. Hello, fellow lovers of all things green; my beloved brother Bill passed away on December 21. I was blessed to travel to Florida to be by his side in his last weeks. Several overnights in the hospital and hospice and heartfelt pillow talks I cherish as I will brother Bill forever, a brave, soulful man, by far advanced to most of us in terms of spiritual development. I call him my soulful twin as we went through school and graduated high school together. We became twins in third grade, which is part of the story. You graduated from here, I assured him that last day. In truth, the six months since his emergency trip to the emergency room on Father's Day and diagnosis of appendix cancer with no prior symptoms have been a blur for me. A time to resonate for him. All that he had studied was coming together, he reflected. It's all about love,

Mary Stone

9:59

If I may tell one of Bill's lessons he shared as I gathered the courage to end the merry-go-round of my marriage ruined by the neglect and isolation of addiction - a tough time in my life. It was Election Day, and I drove from an attorney appointment to town hall to vote. Out of the blue, Bill called. Never before had he called in the middle of a workday, but he felt my energy and sadness. We did have a sixth sense with each other. It was funny, like if I had a thought about him, he would call and vice versa. Through ugly tears, I shared the recent details of the marriage struggle, which put my safety at risk. But I still love him. I said. Bill asked if I had water nearby. He hadn't visited me here and didn't know about the brook in the front of the house. He suggested I go there and find a leaf. Watch it maneuver through the current slowly, beautifully, and serenely. You see, none of us have control over the current, a parallel of the ebbs and flows in our lives. Our goal is to let go, trust, and live calmly and serenely rather than resist the flow like the leaf in the water. I've observed hundreds of leaves since that day. Thank you, my beloved brother. You will be with all that love you forever. Sister Mary.

Mary Stone

11:19

Little did I know that a few years after Bill shared The Lesson of the Leaf, his wisdom would see me through losing him, too, rolling right into the torturous, long goodbye of my mother with dementia. I look forward to filling you in on the details of the journey of healing and growth, if that's what the universe has in store, by crafting our weekly or biweekly visits, integrating the book - portions of it anyway and not necessarily in order, but I hope to make this the platform. I would love for you, kind listeners who have been so faithful to me, to participate in whatever way you feel comfortable. If you'd like to offer ideas or suggestions for improvements or share your stories, I would love to hear them. You can email me at AskMaryStone@gmail.com. Thank you for joining me and for inspiring me. Thank you for encouraging me, and I hope I do the same for you because we are all in this one world together in the Garden of Life. Have a great day. See you next time on the screen porch.

Mary Stone

12:23

You can follow Garden Dilemmas on Facebook or online at Garden Dilemmas.com and on Instagram at hashtag. Mary Elaine Stone. Garden Dilemmas Delights and Discoveries is produced by Alex Bartling. Thanks for coming by. I look forward to chatting again from my screen porch and always remember to embrace the unexpected in this garden of life. Have a great day.