I often think our yard and garden design and how we care for our property is a direct reflection of how we see ourselves in the world. Is it just mow and blow, as though we bear no responsibility for the environment. Or do we take our role seriously. When I was a Neighborhood Specialist/City Planner in Florida before returning to Missouri, I would focus a lot of neighborhood preservation and trying/helping people to see beyond the boundary of their property. It was always that how they viewed themselves as a person (caring about upkeep of their property) was a direct reflection of how they saw themselves. That oftentimes people felt it was beyond them.
What I learned was that most people wanted to do the right thing but lacked the desire or knowledge as to where to begin. Taking responsibility means taking the time to learn and the discipline to see past intrusions that get in our way. I don’t expect everyone to plant flowers from one property line to the other as I have, but to see the world beyond limitations to possibilities. Seeing beyond politics, global warming is real, our local trash problems are real, seeing ourselves as a part of the problem can be real or that we become part of the solution is all we can really do.
The problems of the world are not beyond us they begin with us. It can begin with our learning to see our neighbors as ourselves. With hope and dreams for themselves and their families, and knowing our own success is dependent on their success as well. A real fact of life is that our own property values either rise or fall with our neighbors as well.
All this said we begin by giving a damn and caring enough about ourselves giving others room to care about what they can or should care about as well. It begins by our taking the time to care… and of course to go out and plant/care for some flowers.
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