Garden of Victory

// stories from Eden //

By Lauren di Matteo

May 29^th, 2020

Stories from Eden is a compilation of lessons, accounts, and experiences gleaned from our years working alongside a diverse community of urban gardeners in City Heights, San Diego. For more stories from this body of work:

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COVID-19.

It has swept across the earth like a tidal wave, tragically claiming the lives of hundreds of thousands. Stay at home orders have been in place throughout the world. People have been laid off or required to work from home, and while some cities, states, and entire countries are beginning to open up again, months of lockdown have had a dramatic effect on daily life, resulting in a profound paradigm shift for many.

So much of our days used to revolve around work and recreation. We’d commute to our jobs, climb another rung of the proverbial ladder, and race from one activity to the next with just enough time to catch our breath—then, rinse and repeat. While certainly not the case for all, many have found themselves housebound with a long-lost friend who has presumptuously worn out his welcome: Time.

It was all we could do to get more of it, and now, we can’t seem to fill it.

We’ve been cornered into facing the reality of what our lives actually consist of when we step off the hamster wheel, and have a look around. The result has been a beautiful going back movement. In the wake of chaos, hardship, and intense isolation, we have returned to simplicity.

We are baking again, cooking again and actually sitting down to enjoy meals together. For the first time ever, there are children riding bicycles down my street, laughing and carrying on. We are going on walks, chatting with our neighbors, and enjoying the entire progression and resolution of breathtaking sunsets. We are learning to create again and...we are gardening.

In the wake of chaos, hardship, and intense isolation, we have returned to simplicity.

A BIT OF EARTH

While I’ve been growing some herbs in pots the last few years, this spring the dream of a raised garden bed was finally realized. Despite all that’s happening in the world, I have been given the gift of time. Time to research, to draw up plans, to build and finally to plant. The entire process has engaged my mind and body, my desire for quality, nutrient-dense food, and thirst for beauty. This garden has helped keep me sane in these times. It has made me a builder, creator, and cultivator. Several times a day, I drift out of doors to check on its progress, encourage my little plantlings, and pray that the seeds will sprout. Every new leaf, every blossom, every curling tendril is an occasion to celebrate with shouts of joy.

This is my victory garden.

EDEN

The dream of tending a bit of earth of my own has been incubating for years, ever since Lauren and I set foot in a community garden in City Heights, San Diego. We were doing research on cultural-centric stories for Life & Thyme and came across an urban garden where each small plot is parceled out to individuals and families from over 25 different nations. Like moths to the flame, we had to go.

When I set foot in the garden my whole mind, body and soul relax. The soil beneath my feet emanates peace. Walking along these narrow dirt paths, I exult with the delight of a child. There are plants to eat, chickens to chase, and the most beautiful people to simply be with; to work alongside, to know, and to love. And in the early, misty morning or warm evening glow, when an ethereal breeze causes every leaf to bow, I revel in the gift of standing on hallowed ground.

It’s been three years since we first crossed the threshold from an urban neighborhood into a place we like to call Eden: a garden of delight, a refuge from the brokenness of the world around us, a place where war and violence cease as people from various nations gather together and labor beside one another on level ground. It is an oasis brimming with living treasures from around the world. This garden and these people have changed us.

Eden is a victory garden in the truest sense of the word.

The men and women who work this land have faced countless struggles and hardships. They have fled war-torn countries, left homes and even family for the sake of survival. It is here that they began to rebuild, create, and cultivate again. Together, we have broken up fallow ground and uprooted destructive, sprawling weeds. We have sown in tears and reaped harvests of joy and laughter. They have given of themselves, sharing their sacred stories and hard-fought wisdom. In this garden—together—we thrive and flourish. Through every season they press on, growing precious sustenance for their families, neighbors, and communities, and it is an honor to know them and to call them friends.