Journey through My Garden
These images from my garden provide the perfect symbols and metaphoric language as an introduction to me, Peggy Fiedler, and my upcoming book Permission to Live.
When I think about how to explain what I mean about our interdependence as vital for healing—about the importance of self-care and reliance on a network of love around you—all I need to do is turn to my garden.
A garden is a place that reminds us to cultivate our sacred values. We must tend to these as much as we would attend to the hurts of physical body. We must remember, too, that any time something threatens the physical body, it affects us emotionally and spiritually as well.
The news that you are facing a life-threatening illness can be such an emotional blow that we are thrown off balance. Our sense of self-reliance is shattered, and in our culture that’s a double blow, because self-sufficiency seems to be the medal of achievement, the pinnacle of worthiness. Our sense of self-reliance, then, must be reconstituted in a new way that installs us into a framework that includes resourceful, knowledgeable and kind allies in healing.
Gardens hold spiritual space for us. They create a certain sanctuary that protects us as well as an invitation to open our hearts. They remind us of the healing power of the aesthetic. In a beautiful garden, we can bathe in appreciation and know we are accompanied.
The timeless allure of a velvety carpet of moss
Magical and playful, moss dances in a perfect marriage with the majesty of stone. It is here in the garden that we can gather the patience and self-knowledge that assure us all shall be well. Welcome to my garden. I’m Peggy Fiedler, and I’m a compassion advocate, cancer thriver and storyteller. Today I’d like to talk about moss. My garden holds one element that always provides me with a sense of timelessness. Any time I need to slow down, I gravitate to one moss-covered landscape boulder. This majestic gray stone is covered in a delicate carpet of moss, which makes it seem like I have lived here for a good long while. It is here that I can access deeper wisdom and patience. Moss is the harmony that holds the aesthetic of the garden...
The irresistible fig tree, singing in the key of life
Sweet, restorative figs sustain more species than any other fruit. This week, let yourself flourish in its abundance and nourish others’ lives. Welcome to my garden. I’m Peggy Fiedler, and I’m a compassion advocate, cancer thriver and storyteller. Today I’d like to talk about the fig tree. Fig trees have an irresistible allure for me. I don’t know why, but about four years ago when I moved to the home in which I currently live, I just had to buy a fig tree for my garden. It’s one of the featured trees, nestled between the honeysuckle and hydrangea, so it greets people when they arrive. One of my happiest memories is going to visit the 90-year-old Italian mother of my co-worker at lunchtime and feeling transported to a lush Mediterranean...
The bird feeder, the gift of sustenance and exuberant presence
I find beauty in this connection as every day, new varieties of wild birds come to be nourished in my garden Welcome to my garden. I’m Peggy Fiedler, and I’m a compassion advocate, cancer thriver and storyteller. Today I’d like to talk about the bird feeder. Recently, I put up a bird feeder in the garden. It was a gift from my sister, now that she has moved to her new apartment. For me, it's a welcome addition alongside my wind chimes and granite fountain. Now all new varieties of wild birds come daily to be nourished. They give me so much pleasure, helping me to slow down. There is a beauty in this connection with the natural world around me. I am providing food for the birds and delight in knowing they are cared for. In the morning,...
Got butterflies? It’s the right time to re-emerge
This eternal symbol of transformation reminds us: We’re all due for a reboot. Welcome to my garden. I’m Peggy Fiedler, and I’m a compassion advocate, cancer thriver and storyteller. Today I’d like to talk about butterflies. Everything is waking up now. My garden is filling up with butterflies like this one with its orange wings and black edges. Because the butterfly is an eternal symbol of transformation, it reminds me that now is a time of rebirth. Perfect, because we’re all due for a reboot. As the butterflies dart through the flowers and catch the sunlight, I think, “It’s the right time to make a change in my life.” The butterfly signals we can leave an old life behind and begin a new one. It reminds us to look for sweetness and light...
Radiant rhododendron, an invitation to the true soulmate
Their glory reminds us to be here now, wake up, find contentment in the present moment Welcome to my garden. I’m Peggy Fiedler, and I’m a compassion advocate, cancer thriver and storyteller. Today I’d like to talk about the rhododendron. The rhododendrons are in bloom, and they are abundant. They are striking with their glossy green foliage and showy clusters of voluminous flowers. They are magnificent. Rhododendrons can be purple or pink or red or yellow or white. They are about romance and passion and love and tenderness. They are the ultimate in contentment. They are the perfect way to say, “I appreciate you” and “I want to be around you for a long time.” Native to sunny areas, they can bring light and warmth to any landscape. They...
Japanese maple, the most welcoming member of my garden
Feel its awe and grace. Slow down and cherish the precious meetings in your life this week. Welcome to my garden. I’m Peggy Fiedler, and I’m a compassion advocate, cancer thriver and storyteller. Today I’d like to talk about the Japanese maple. One Japanese maple anchors my courtyard garden. It looks so petite next to the Korean dogwood, but it is exquisitely elegant with its star-shaped leaves and striking color. This tree is the epitome of grace. Because the Japanese maple grows slowly, it is a symbol of patience and persistence. How often are we hurried in life? How often do we lose sight of the appreciation that many of the best things in life take time? The Japanese maple is like a beautiful hand-crafted ornament, something artfully...
Lilacs: Let the delight of spring cast a spell on you
This heavenly cloud of flowers is intoxicating with its sweet scent. This week, let yourself be enchanted. Welcome to my garden. I’m Peggy Fiedler, and I’m a compassion advocate, cancer thriver and storyteller. Today I’d like to talk about lilacs. Some of my happiest memories of flowers are of lilacs. As a child, my favorite delight of spring would be hopping onto the swing nestled in the back corner of our yard. I always made sure to face the lilac bushes. Each time the swing sailed up into the blue sky, I felt like I could soar, and when I took flight, I would be immersed in a heavenly cloud of lilacs. Those exhilarating flights on spring days left an imprint of joyful memories that is as intoxicating as the sweet scent of the lilac. It...
Why the tulip is the purest expression of love
These perfectly sculpted blooms light a room with beauty, bringing harmony to every corner. They are a beacon to listen, seek to understand and be a supportive friend. Welcome to my garden. I’m Peggy Fiedler, and I’m a compassion advocate, cancer thriver and storyteller. Today I’d like to talk about the tulip. The exquisite, perfectly sculpted blooms of the tulip are the purest expression of love. A spring garden blooming with tulips is a vast array of luscious colors. They are the masterpieces of the garden. I can’t help but want to display tulips as cut flowers in vases all through my home. When I walk through the rooms of my home, gazing at the tulips, I am in my element, because they represent the ultimate in hospitality. They awaken...
Flowering pink dogwood: Why solid is the new sexy
This spectacular hot pink bloom is the master of endurability, a love that is constant, pure-hearted, strong and kind Welcome to my garden. I’m Peggy Fiedler, and I’m a compassion advocate, cancer thriver and storyteller. Today I’d like to talk about the flowering pink dogwood. The dogwood is in full bloom in my courtyard, awash in hot pink flowers that seem perfectly sculpted into four-pointed crosses. This spectacular expansion of pink is the beginning of the beginning. The garden is abuzz with bees and butterflies seeking nectar and bringing forth life. Even though its flowers are small and delicate, it can survive harsh conditions. The dogwood flower is a symbol of endurability because it can resist nature’s fluctuations. It...
And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.