The Gardener’s Creed
My heart in video form. My soul on paper.
I was telling a girlfriend a few months ago that I wanted to write out a manifesto for gardeners. She immediately told me to go read The Farmer’s Creed (below), and that spoke to me so deeply. I grew up surrounded by farmers and that character they have – it’s second to none.
I indeed then sat down and wrote my own creed, but for the gardener. Something specific for us.
I hope you enjoy it, and that I was able to capture the magic that lies in the hearts of those who in fact, tend the earth.
The Gardener’s Creed by Bailey Van Tassel
I believe that a human’s greatest confidence and pride come from tending the earth, in a give and take that is abundant in giving, more than taking.
I believe that hard work and attunement to the seasons requires patience, restraint, and response to nature that builds resilience and a kind character.
I believe that gardening nourishes the mind, body, and soul, giving to our families what they most need: honest food, quiet harmony with nature, and small challenges to overcome.
I believe that my children are learning lifelong skills and lessons that will indelibly inspire them and shape their future, and those after them.
I believe that the best things in life are indeed simple and free; the scent of orange blossoms covered in dew, the pushing of a seed through its casing, the sight of a bumblebee falling asleep on a sunflower.
I believe that reverence for that which is beyond our control makes us better.
I believe that caring for the tiny species whom we are irrevocably dependent on, the bugs and the birds, and the butterflies require us to live greatly and beyond the thought of ourselves.
I believe that planting a tree whose shade I will not sit in will be how I leave my mark.
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Here is some of the inspiration that I got in terms of format. I wanted our gardener’s creed to be a twist on this, paying homage to it.
A Farmer’s Creed
I believe a man’s greatest possession in his dignity and that no calling bestows this more abundantly than farming.
I believe hard work and honest sweat are the building blocks of a person’s character.
I believe that farming, despite its hardships and disappointments, is the most honest and honorable way a man can spend his days on this Earth.
I believe farming nurtures the close family ties that makes life rich in ways money can’t buy.
I believe my children are learning values that will last a lifetime and can be learned no other way.
I believe farming provides education for life and that no other occupation teaches so much about birth, growth and maturity in such a variety of ways.
I believe many of the best things in life are indeed free: the splendor of a sunrise, the rapture of wide open spaces, the exhilarating sight of your and greening each sprint.
I believe that true happiness comes from watching your crops ripen in the field, your children grow tall in the sun, your whole family feel the pride that springs from their shared experience.
I believe that by my toil I am giving more to the world than I am taking from it, an honor that does not come to all men.
I believe my life will be measured ultimately by what I have done for my fellow man, and by this standard I fear no judgement. I believe when a man grows old and sums up his days, he should be able to stand tall and feel pride in the life he’s lives.
I believe in farming because it makes this all possible.