Thank you for attending this class on how gardening can bring deeper meaning to your life. We explored how purpose, connection, and creativity can grow right alongside your plants.

Key Takeaways and Next Steps

Understanding Meaning and Ikigai

Meaning in life often comes from within. The Japanese concept of Ikigai shows how passion, mission, profession, and vocation intersect. Gardening can fulfill all four, offering joy, purpose, usefulness, and mastery.

Start Small and Build Confidence

Whether growing herbs on a windowsill or tending a garden bed, starting small can help you gain confidence and spark joy. Don’t be discouraged by setbacks—treat each mistake as a learning opportunity.

Gardening as a Healing Practice

Gardening offers mental and physical health benefits, from reducing stress to supporting recovery and cognitive health. Horticultural therapy has been shown to aid motor skills and promote well-being.

Share Your Passion

Connecting with others through gardening—family, friends, neighbors, or local schoolchildren—builds community and adds meaning. Share seeds, ideas, or help with others’ gardens to deepen those bonds.

Explore Learning and Volunteering Opportunities

Join gardening clubs, volunteer in community gardens, or take online classes like those on GetSetUp. These options offer continued learning and connection, regardless of your experience level or space.

Gardening, no matter how big or small, can cultivate joy, purpose, and connection in your life and others’. Keep growing and discovering what brings you meaning.