You Love To Garden–Are You Ready To Turn Pro?

I fuck hearing about people who are so wipe out by their passions that they occlude on the brake , hang a “ uranium - electrical engineering ” , punch the gas and take off in a new direction . That ’s what San Diego garden partisan Roberta Correia is doing .

Roberta is an old friend who I ’d never met ; at least not until I inflict San Diego last weekend . Lin , my spousal bread and butter building block , and I were there chew the fat home and celebrating our 23rd wedding ceremony anniversary . [ Travel jot : if you ’re into brilliant Asiatic food , you MUST findKafe Yenin the Pacific Beach neighborhood . ]

Since I was going to be in San Diego with Lin , I stage a visit to Roberta ’s garden . It ’s strange when you ’ve seen so many pic of a place and then chew the fat in person .

Roberta greeted me as an old friend , handed me a tasty ice of home - brewed iced tea and showed me around . The garden was immediately conversant and the gay light unripe wall and white passementerie of the house softly ray through a woodlet of densely planted sweetgum tree ( Liquidambar styraciflua ) . But it was the back pace that got my impulse going .

First , a bit of background .

Roberta and I quickly formed a reciprocal admiration company . She had just grease one’s palms a house on a steeply sloping lot and was slowly turn the scourge fixer - upper into a tropic oasis . Her photo chronicled her garden ’s makeover .

She and her hubby , Bruno — childhood sweethearts , I might add — are in the beginning from Rio de Janeiro , which might explain the rear yard landscape gardening , overflow with an eccentric accumulation of toothsome , leafy plants . “ I like farewell ! ” she enthuse , as we tour the landscape , still a employment in progress . “ efflorescence are nice , but I ’m always attract to foliage first . ”

I ’m not sure which was more fun — seeing the garden or meet her son . Thor ( Roberta wanted a name with some baron ; I ’ve nicknamed him GOT for God of Thunder ) is a Legomaniac who eagerly showed off his completely coolio stick - pattern animation programme on his Mac laptop . He seemed stoke to meet me , having seen some of myGarden Wise GuysTV program on - parentage . I ’m not certain what an 8 - year old boy beget from a public boob tube show about sustainable landscaping , but hey , there ’s worse stuff on TV .

I could save a disjoined article about Roberta ’s adventuresome garden task , with its exotic plant : smuggled elephant spike , Brazilian banana tree tree , zinfandel - colored castor edible bean , tapioca tree and Cenozoic - era cycad palms . But that blog will have to wait .

The self-aggrandising news from my sojourn was that this professional economist , wife and mother had just enrolled in the gardening program atCuyamaca College , majoring in landscape blueprint ! That ’s what I mean about act on your passionateness .

“ This change of career was forced by the current economic situation , ” Roberta confided . “ If it were n’t for the downswing , I would n’t have dared leave a hopeful life history and a line of work I make love in the building manufacture to keep abreast my dream ! ”

Her enthusiasm was tangible , reminding me of my decision 35 years ago to hang up my drumstick , perpetrate the plug on concert tours and transcription , and plunge headlong into the world of plants .

Recently , Roberta was discussing her situation with another enthusiastic gardener , who tell her , “ Once you regain a job you ’re passionate about , you never have to ‘ work ’ again ” !

There ’s an enthusiastic “ I can DO this ” demeanor that pours from this dynamic woman and convinces me that she will soon be a force to be think with . As we talked about all the ways she could tie in with the landscape painting conception profession , she was like a sponge , soaking up every approximation . I could see mental bridges edifice as she used her economic expert ’s mindset to plan her exciting new career route .

I know there are a raft of you read this who identify with Roberta Correia . You might be working at a job that provides a paycheck , but no fulfilment . Or perhaps you have been let go . I ’m in no place to state you to take the leap — everyone ’s margin of peril is different and you have to gauge for yourself if Roberta ’s Modern way of life would be right for you .

But you wo n’t bonk unless you try . Talk to people in the green world . Enroll in an grownup didactics class . Soberly list the risks and benefits . And if you decide to dip your piffling toe in the big green pond , know that others have come through in following their ambition .

I ’d love some feedback from reader who have taken the dip , or those who are energize by the medical prognosis of “ going pro ” . That ’s what the comment discussion section below is for .

I intend to keep up our connexion and provide whatever advice and steering I can for Roberta . The world involve impassioned , bright flora people like her .

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