I”m always on the lookout for gardens designed for the elderly, ailing or dementia-bound.
I recently found an example that was on display at the 2008 Chelsea Flower Show in London. Created by Cleve West, the garden was sponsored by Bupa, a large U.K. health provider that runs nursing homes.
The design was created for a small courtyard that might be seen in many urban or suburban nursing homes. Space is minimal, so the designer creatively found ways to cram as many flowering trees and bushes into the space as possible. A winding 8-pattern leads patients around the garden; there are plenty of benches available for those who need to rest their legs as they enjoy a safe fountain. Bamboo, allium, tulips are installed at varying heights to bring more depth and visual excitement.
An invite: please send me any examples of healing gardens you have seen at care facilities or caregiver homes! This burgeoning movement of healing horticulture needs to be recognized and celebrated.
Listen as though your life depended on it. It does.
– The Art of Pilgrimage
Listening has become a skill to practice, rehearse and commit to.
Much like the art of meditation and contemplation, listening does not come easily. I’m talking about true listening, where one person does not engage in lecturing, patronizing or power plays. It’s deep listening, when you pause to be quiet as a Beloved One speaks. No interjections. No mulling what you will be saying next.
Kay Lindahl, who wrote the book “The Sacred Art of Listening,” has a list of tips for the art of listening on her site. She explains:
Listening to another with rapt attention may be the greatest gift we give to each other. When two people listen deeply to one another, we sense that we are present not only to each other, but also to something beyond our individual selves, something spiritual, holy, or sacred.
National Public Radio also celebrated the act of listening on Nov. 27 (the day after Thanksgiving) this year, by encouraging listeners to sit down with a family member and recording their memories. The day was created as part of the StoryCorps project, where family members interview each other. You might have heard StoryCorps segments on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Make a yearly tradition of listening to and preserving a loved one’s story. The stories you collect will become treasured keepsakes that grow more valuable with each passing generation.
The National Day of Listening seeks to re-create the oral traditions of our ancestors — where family stories are handed down from elders to children. The tradition incorporates both the act of storytelling and the act of listening. Personally, I regret not recording or writing down the stories of some of my elders.
Consider celebrating the National Day of Listening by sitting down with your Beloved One and asking for a recitation of a favorite family story. Thanks to the technology of cell phones and computers, it’s fairly easy to set up a microphone for recording the story, (see the National Day of Listening site for tips) then editing the file to share with other family members.
