gardening
I like to think of gardening metaphors, like growing trust. You have to water it—not too much, not too little. And things will always grow in different directions and with different outcomes than you’re expecting, but that’s okay.
Willa Köerner • On growing a cooperative like you’d grow a garden
A metaphysical “idea garden” is a mental or virtual space for cultivating creativity, inspiration, and intellectual growth. Here’s a detailed breakdown of this concept:
What Is a Metaphysical Idea Garden?
Not a literal garden but a mental framework: It’s a cognitive and spiritual approach to idea development, where you view your thoughts,
Being a gardener is like being a steady friend who shows up regularly to listen, protect, and support so that growth can happen.
A mind garden is not a mind backyard. It’s not about dumping notes in there and forgetting about them. To tend to your garden, you need to plant new ideas. The best way to do this is by replanting stems and cuttings from existing ideas you’ve added to your garden—by consistently taking notes, and combining them together, a bit like grafting.
Anne-Laure Le Cunff • You and Your Mind Garden
Gardening offers an endless supply of these kinds of "neutralizers for perfectionism," as Lamp'l called them. He confessed to being a perfectionist himself and knows firsthand that "pursuit of perfection is a waste of time—especially in the garden. So don't bother!"
Psychology Today • 10 Mental Health Benefits of Gardening
Following this logic, our brains reward a kept garden because it staves off wilderness, because in the wilderness there is death, and thus by keeping nature controlled and orderly, we keep death away.
Landscape maintenance is, therefore, an exercise of fear.