Getting Older and the Benefits of Gardening

I have fond memories of my grandparents and their friends. Never for one moment did I consider them to be useless bodies of humankind. Never have I dismissed their musings and stories and life experiences. Now that I am misnamed, “Uncle” and “Pops” and variations of those names, I feel like I have aged overnight. It had never concerned me until young people started to look through me as though I was invisible. My smile is pleasant enough. I am that generous neighbor and an elderly man walking briskly along the street, greeting everyone and showing my pearly whites most of the time. It’s a troubling time.

During my teenage years and throughout my life, I spent my leisure time in the presence of the sage, white-haired men and women who dispensed counsel as if it were candy. I learnt offsetting goals, embracing positivity and God and how to choose an eternal life partner. The dispenser of the counsel always followed up with a wry smile, a raised eyebrow or a stern glance. Volumes were spoken subliminally during these fleeting passages of time. A gesture here, sound there; it was poetry in action. These men and women would have me cracking up with laughter, mouth agape with concern or the feeling that my heart would burst with a gush of pure unadulterated love. Those were the days. Oh, how I miss them. Then again, nostalgia is a thing of the past. You may have gathered that I don’t mind using hackneyed phrases of the past.

It wasn’t until I ended up in Barbados towards the end of my career that I recognized a new malady that had afflicted the society. I am grateful to Robert Butler for coining the term Ageism! I don’t quite like the term but encapsulated within that word is a sordid story of discrimination against people based on age. Not just the elderly but the inexperienced youth are victims. I didn’t know that the Baby Boomers and the Gen Z were looked upon with a similar level of disgust, did you? The culture of the Caribbean was likened to that of China, Japan and India where the young and the old were to be found in the same physical and mental space. I awoke one perfect Monday morning only to find that things had changed overnight. So, it seemed. I don’t quite like it.

I have chosen to lead a rather solitary life. While some people enjoy traveling, playing sports, or spending time with their loved ones, I prefer to keep to myself. My interactions with the outside world are limited, and I tend to view humanity with caution, much like a child born during the COVID-19 lockdown. In his driveway, he pointed to passersby whom he may have been seeing closeup for the first time after 2 years locked within the confines of his home. He uttered these chilling words, “Look! People!” He didn’t move forward to greet them. He merely allowed them to continue on their journey with indifference. I find solace in minimal social interaction and instead, devote my time to the company of unbiased creatures - a playful dog, a regal cat, and a couple of nervous doves in my cherry tree.

I no longer miss the stressful work environment, the critical and judgmental attitudes of anonymous shoppers and office staff. Instead, I have found peace in retreating to the beach and tending to my newly created garden. What began as a means of escaping the chaos of daily life has transformed into a deep appreciation for nature. The beauty and innovation displayed by nature far surpass what human beings can achieve, and I wonder why I hadn't realized this earlier.

The earth at the back of the yard was unyielding and hard to work. It felt like clay and had stones even just four inches below the soil. There, a guinep tree, two sugar apple trees, a cherry tree, pomegranate, and three mango trees thrived, along with a towering breadfruit tree.

Getting to the ripe breadfruits on my tree required flexibility and adaptability, much like Dr. Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four. Because of this, many fruits fall to the ground, where they smash against the branches. If I don't remove the fallen fruit during the day, a natural process occurs: millions of busy ants break down the fruit into tiny pieces and carry them in an orderly fashion to their subterranean storehouse. That’s order and discipline displayed for all mankind to behold. I compete with the Barbados green monkey for my lovely and sweet mangoes. Whatever they made be, unless one squints at an angle, the green is a misnomer. The uninvited guests pilfer and eat my mangoes without consideration. I am not amused but I dare not threaten them. My elderly neighbor has informed me that God has supplied enough mangoes to share with the miscreants. I acquiesce. Let them eat fruit! Sometimes, the only evidence there is that they have visited are bits and pieces of the fruits’ skin and the seeds of the mangoes strewn on the ground. They eat and I dispose of their waste. We have a perfect understanding.

One of the main reasons that I do not interfere with the green monkeys is not my fear of their long, sharp teeth or the strength of their long limbs; it’s their attitude. My cousin Pam has a Country and Garden vegetable patch at the back of her house in the country. Witnessing the green monkey pilfering her fruits and veggies, she being smarter than the elderly folks in the neighborhood decided to chase them away with missiles and loud noises. Upon returning from work the next afternoon, she discovered that her beautiful vegetable patch was completely destroyed. Vegetables had been haphazardly plucked from the patch and scattered across the yard. That’s the nature of the Barbados green monkey. Their behavior is like that of a vengeful outcast, with plenty of attitude to keep you at arm's length.

When it comes to the vegetables, I plant and the snails and slugs reap the benefits. How could I be mad when a snail, the Giant African Snail, traveled all the way from West Africa to snack on my lettuce, cabbage, and anything green that is planted? An elderly hardware sales clerk advised me to scatter blue pellets between the plants. The pellets are rain resistant otherwise those critters would eat me out of a perfectly, planned salad. Wish I knew how to repurpose their shells after they have departed this life for the Underworld. Unfortunately, Cerebus doesn’t seem to be well fed as he releases them, again, every couple of weeks to the same locations on earth. I have created a friendship with my elderly sales clerk. We have bonded over a few bottles of Malathion and a few packs of Sevin powder. It just occurred to me that he and I may both have a penchant for insect control, and that perhaps insect serial killing is in our blood. Fear us, insects!

But, the vibrant colors of the plants are truly astonishing. Depending on the amount of sunshine reaching the plants, the leaves of a specific plant may be transformed from a glossy green to a striking purple or develop unique speckles. I can tell when the plants are being overwatered, lacking sunlight, or when it's the wrong time to harvest their fruits. It’s an amazing journey filled with mysteries and results that are life-changing. Even though the birds consume the worms and my ripe pomegranates, I am grateful to share the abundance of fruits with them. There's an abundance of fruits available for everyone. While clearing away a few tree branches that I had cut and placed in a corner of the yard and had soon forgotten, I stumbled upon a branch adorned with the most beautiful golden fungi. There’s a whole new world out there that’s not centered around big business and monotonous, daily routines.

Gardening is therapeutic. There are days when the planning and the execution of the gardening plans don’t quite align but that’s alright. After all, man does not control the elements especially during hurricane season. The weatherman is a friend of the gardener and stools are an appropriate investment. A fashion designer would be enamored with the variation of designs of limestone. The garden provides shade against the scorching sun as the leaves and branches of the multiple trees provide the backdrop for an afternoon lime. Anyone for a mango smoothie or a pitcher of pomegranate juice and some breadfruit fritters?