I am so glad we got to help the Willie North Institute hold that little family gardening event. What a beautiful time. I loved seeing the kids and their families enjoy each other and the outdoors, even if it was still in the middle of the city and all its pollution, car accidents, and police. You could feel the joy in the air, and at times it really rubbed off on me.

I felt myself come alive once I got my hands in the dirt. I love the potted plants on my balcony, but I missed just sticking my hands in the ground. For a second I completely forgot about the children. I was too busy trying to plant perfectly even rows of peppers. I kept asking people whether I had the right amount of space between each pepper. Angel and I got our knees dirty as we kneeled between rows. I ran my fingers through the soil and greeted all the worms and insects. I tried not to pet too many of them, but I was excited. It was a lot of fun. After I was done I got to see the kids running around with pitchers, trying to water every plant they saw.

I looked around and saw so many smiling faces, and I was a bit jealous. I wish more children had access to places like this growing up. I thought about my own upbringing and how much I longed to experience things like that. I thought about some of the people I grew up with and how differently they may have turned out. Even as I was in grade school I felt like the environment around us was severely lacking. I do not want to sound judgmental of them and the way their lives are unfurling, because there is so much beauty to be found in them. Regardless, I have to wonder what could have been for all of us if we had something like that garden.