In a world where time seems to go faster and faster every year, and stress is known to be the number 1 killer, it is vital to have ways to relax and unwind that are effective. Because “a change is as good as a rest,” it makes so much sense for active people to allocate leisure time to invigorating sports and hobbies.
One day, Vivien took a look at her life and realized that all of her careers began as hobbies and personal interests. Vivien’s first hobby was writing – this was the love of her life and she would make up stories every day, on her way to and from school. Then, she became an author. Next, Vivien looked into the Alexander Technique to help with her poor posture, and ended up training to become a teacher. While teaching the Alexander Technique, Vivien discovered the existence of the energy field, and became intrigued by Energy Healing. This also led to crystals and crystal healing, which led to the development of a new body of knowledge – Crystal Surgery. In each instance, what used to be for personal development, interest and fun, became employment, and it doesn’t matter which way you roll the dice, once you are doing something professionally, it ceases to be classified as a hobby. “All work and no play make Jack a dull boy,” is how the adage goes, and Vivien discovered that no matter how much she loved her work and her clients, she was getting seriously out of balance. “What can I do as a hobby?” Vivien wondered to herself. She considered learning to bake, but both wheat and sugar pose issues for her, so that did not seem like a good idea at all. Clearly, a hobby needs to be good for you, or it is counter-productive. Then, one day, in the gym, while walking on an elliptical machine, with her eye skipping over the banks of TV screens, Vivien was feeling more and more bored by what seemed like repetitive activity inside a grey room. “Imagine if I were actually putting this time and energy into something constructive,” Vivien thought to herself, “like, if I were gardening – I would get exercise and have something to show for it.”
Vivien and Neil had gardened before, in Cape Town, which has a Mediterranean climate. When they came to the Midwest of the US, they were completely baffled by three factors: the climate, the soil and the style of landscaping. The previous owner of their home had laid down white stones in all the garden beds (such as they were) and these had been driven deep into the soil – which wasn’t really soil, as Vivien and Neil expected, but clay.
For many years, Vivien and Neil had stared forlornly at their lot, unable to decipher the mystery of how to create beautiful garden beds in such an inhospitable environment. No wonder most landscapes consisted of a lawn, 3 boxwoods and a layer of mulch!
Once Vivien had decided to tackle the gardening project, she began to do her research. She drove around looking for beautiful gardens in the neighborhood to see how it was done and which plants seemed to thrive. Neil also brought piles of Gardening magazines home from the library. The fun had just begun! But Vivien had to caution herself. She had to set a boundary. This was going to stay a hobby and was not going to turn into yet another career path. “This must be only for you,” Vivien told herself, “For when you feel like it, and how you feel like it.”
Vivien and Neil began by clearing away the old concrete backyard and building a new, screened-in deck. Then, Vivien designed a cast concrete patio and walk way, that created flower beds around the deck. “Why are you doing that?” everyone asked. “Because I want to be surrounded by flowers,” Vivien answered. And then, the landscaping began in earnest.
Over the next thirteen years, the garden evolved, as led by the garden’s own wisdom. How did this work? Instead of engaging landscapers to do a design, Vivien and Neil built on the single most outstanding feature – a community of trees – and added new features each year, experimenting to see how well the features worked and which plants could thrive. The garden led, by offering suggestions through self-seeding. An individual style evolved, with a novel solution that surprised everyone. Fed up with the clay, Vivien and Neil chose instead to plant the annuals in pots, where they could control the growing medium.
Last year, Vivien and Neil completed the design and entered their garden in their suburb’s annual garden tour. What a success! Everyone enjoyed the beauty and the colors, remarking on how inviting and peaceful the garden felt. It just goes to show, even when you do something wonderful and constructive purely for yourself, not only do you gain balance and health, you can impart beauty and joy to others too. What’s your hobby? Vivien and Neil would love to know.
Connect with Vivien Schapera at www.CrystalHealingTechniques.com
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