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So many things in our modern world have become 'over.' We are overworked, overweight, over-tired and over-stressed. Gym memberships are at all-time highs while attendance is not. In our tough economic time, more of us are turning to cheaper food alternatives, most of which are over-processed. People are bombarded daily by new and improved ways to combat stress and weight that involve taking pills or drinking daily elixirs. There is an alternative that is natural, healthy, and something anyone can do: gardening.

Humans have a strong connection with the earth. For thousands of years we have honed our skills in growing edible plants and in employing their benefits. Until the recent advents of refrigeration and mass-food processing most people grew their own food. Every member of the family was expected to work in the fields where grew the sustenance that would keep them alive until the next harvest. Today, most people head to the grocery store and purchase packaged produce for their tables. It is a great loss to us that we have cut ourselves out of the process by which our food is provided.

Planting anything, flowers, fruit, herbs, benefits not only the home, but the gardener as well. The mere process of taking a seed and placing it in soil, then watering and waiting for a greet shoot to appear is fulfilling. To have that green shoot grow into a plant that provides beauty or bounty is tantamount to epiphany. Cultivating the soil around plants, pulling weeds and watering are like a balm to the soul. The feel of the soil, the scent of the earth and of green things growing reconnects us with our past. Gardening can give us a means to work out the daily stresses we encounter. The rhythmic movement in hoeing, weeding or cultivating is soothing and therapeutic.

Too many people spend money they can ill-afford on memberships to gyms they don't attend. Working in a garden exercises the entire body, and is much less expensive. Lifting sacks of compost, digging, bending and squatting are routine movements when gardening. There are few more satisfying aches than those earned by laboring in a garden. Gardening gets us out into the fresh air and sunshine. The light from the sun triggers the production of vitamin D in our bodies, a necessary element to our physical and mental well-being. Millions of people hold jobs that keep them inside all day. Being outside allows us to shed the oppression of enclosed spaces. Thoughts of cubicles and computers fade with each lungful of green-scented air.

Another benefit of gardening is the ability to control how the garden is treated. So many food products available today contain unnecessary chemicals, it's a wonder we can taste the original food at all. Humans do not need BHT or phosphates in their food. Granted, the chemicals do help preserve products so they can sit on shelves for longer periods of time, but that is a small victory. Both food and ornamental gardens can flourish without the use of toxic chemicals, making them safer and healthier for humans, our pets and for the environment.

If more people were to do themselves the favor of growing a garden, we would all be happier, healthier and perhaps a bit wiser in the bargain.

Learn more about this author, T Marie Allman.
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