Not only does gardening give you energy, but it also allows for focus. It's pretty simple; a clear focus is one of the most powerful tools in your bag of tricks. If you have it, great, keep it, don't throw away a valuable pandemic resource to tackle projects that don't align with your values.

Being outside with the plants is a gift. As summer slips into fall, the focus will be to keep my houseplants thriving while getting out to breathe, exercise, and be as much as possible. Hiking, skiing, camping, and the outdoors is a crucial component of my overall health.

My travel schedule was always the limit for growing a small victory garden. Veggies have a tough go without water for a few days; trust me on this one. Though travel is still my primary form of finding calm, even business travel, I tend to function higher when moving or in motion in all honesty.

Since we didn't have many places to visit this summer, I've been rediscovering the calming aspects of lockdown gardening. Time spent keeping something thriving is a definite reminder that mental health is our most valuable asset. Showing up daily to water and tend has been a great comfort, transferable to tasks that many might still have a troublesome time pushing through.

That said, it's not always calming. After a scramble to drag my cornucopia inside, pushing furniture aside to put a tarp down in the living room, everything survived the "Summer, Winter, Summer Again Storm of 2020." The freak weather was boasting a temperature swing from 92 degrees to 29 in 24 hours, bringing rain, sleet, and snow; you had to act fast. Colorado has been my home since 2007, and I've never experienced such a violent shift in the weather. Somehow, a 60 plus degree temperature drop was not on my 2020 bingo card. Pair this fact with historic wildfires to the north, south, and west of Denver with armageddon snow and the phrase "apocalyptic" finds new meaning after seeing it for yourself.

According to official gardening accounting, there are four tomato plants, beans, carrots, two cucumber plants, eggplant, squash, jalapeños, shishito, and poblano peppers, and a potentially nuclear variety of chile. Of course, the herbs; Thai basil, sweet basil, rosemary, and cilantro.

Though late in the season, we hold out hope for the last few tomatoes and peppers to give one final heroic push.

Gardening has centered my soul, but the need to break ground is not over when the potting soil goes away for the winter. Harvesting and showing up is an everyday event.