Sometimes You Gotta Play in the Dirt

In December, I was psyched for 2026. Then it arrived, and with it, I received a big, stinky box of…um…opportunities for growth. Without going into any detail (for legal reasons), the box was full of betrayal, financial pain, and assorted risks and woes. I’ve been trying to move through it with a modicum of grace, but 2026 has been a bit of a nightmare.

Some of you might have noticed that, during this time, my blog has had tumbleweeds blowing through it, and my social media accounts have been in stealth mode. My focus has been where it has needed to be, but there is not a lot of fun or fulfilment in putting out dumpster fires.

Yet, here I am! Yesterday, I had the desire to go outside and do something productive. Get some fresh air, get my hands dirty, etc. (For those of you in snow country, I apologize if this seems cruel.) It was a beautiful, sunny day. I trimmed some trees, hauled the branches, and then, I planted a garden.

Not a big garden, mind you. It was a small garden in a couple of wooden containers. A few hours and a sore back later, I had successfully planted some tomatoes, lettuce, peppers, and onions. Salsa, anyone? I also planted some zucchini seeds as shown above.

I planted zucchini for two reasons. 1) We like to eat it, and 2) it is the easiest thing in the world to grow that is not considered a weed. I mean, if you can’t grow a zucchini, pack it in because gardening is not your jam. Just buy your produce at the store.

Why a garden? When I was young, President Spencer W. Kimball mentioned gardens in General Conference, “Where you have a plot of land, however small, plant a garden. Staying close to the soil is good for the soul.” (link) Planting a garden was actually a regular topic of counsel from the brethren back in the day.

I believe gardening is good for the soul. It is something I do infrequently, but this year I decided I needed to do something that is good for my soul. It is especially good when I am lost in worry or problems.

From a simplified perspective, gardening teaches us about faith. The scriptures are full of teachings about seeds growing. Christ’s parables about seeds in Matthew 13, Alma’s teaching about the seed of faith in Alma 32, etc. Everything we plant is an act of faith that something will come from it.

The artist Prince (Yes, I’m quoting Prince) said, “To create something from nothing is one of the greatest feelings, and I would—I don’t know, I wish it upon everybody. It’s heaven.”

I feel that way about gardening. It isn’t creating something from nothing, but it’s creating something from very tiny beginnings. This act of creation can apply to lots of fields, including art. There is tremendous satisfaction in holding a book that you created from nothing, knowing that it will outlive you.

Back in 2008, then President Uchtdorf gave a masterful talk in the Relief Society session of General Conference. He opened by ackowledging that sometimes things can get hard.

“We know that sometimes it can be difficult to keep our heads above water. In fact, in our world of change, challenges, and checklists, sometimes it can seem nearly impossible to avoid feeling overwhelmed by emotions of suffering and sorrow.” (link)

He then went on to offer “two principles that may help you find a path to peace, hope, and joy—even during times of trial and distress.”

One of the two principles was creating. “The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before.”

“Creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment. We develop ourselves and others when we take unorganized matter into our hands and mold it into something of beauty.”

And he’s right. The two dirt-filled wooden boxes in my backyard are now beautiful, when yesterday morning, they weren’t. Sure, my garden is small and unimpressive–but it exists.

And I feel good. It was time well spent. So many of the negative things in our lives are out of our control., but what we create is within our control. Creating does bring “deep satisfaction and fulfillment.” Watching a little seed grow can be deeply satisfying, whether it’s zucchini, tomatoes, art, ideas, or even children.

I have found that, for me, the process of creating is an antidote to the frustration and weight that the world sometimes heaps on us.

What is the last something that you created from nothing? Was it satisfying?

President Uchtdorf concluded: “I believe that as you immerse yourselves in the work of our Father—as you create beauty and as you are compassionate to others—God will encircle you in the arms of His love. Discouragement, inadequacy, and weariness will give way to a life of meaning, grace, and fulfillment.”

I feel better today than I did yesterday. Sore, but better.

PS: (Teaser) Something else I created will be announced this next week…watch for it.