Tonight Crowley Station Community Garden had its Grand Opening Party. We finally felt like the garden was growing and flourishing. To show off the progress that has been made in this our first year, we invited the neighborhood and all the people who helped make the garden happen to a yoga class and potluck.
Pat Boone from Raw Materials Wellness Center did a beautiful Kundalini Yoga Class for Gardeners. She was a great teacher and very flexible with us. The sun was shinning on the garden platform where we practiced. The softest breeze could be felt while we meditated. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect for a Yoga class in a garden. Pat’s class was also all about planting a seed within one’s self and really helped stretch out all those places that get tight while gardening. I really hope we can do more yoga at the garden next year!
Following yoga, we had a community potluck. Sadly, there weren’t quite as many people present as we had hoped probably due to all the other events going on around Madison today. One neighbor came and a few friends of gardeners came. Yet, the potluck was a success. The food was delicious and featured mostly vegetables and fruits (how perfect for a community garden!). It was a lovely selection of healthy and delicious food. The evening cooled down a little and we could all sit around a couple tables in the garden. The full moon came up softly over Lake Monona while the sky filled with pink streaks. There was great conversation and lots of laughter. It was the perfect community building activity. The magic of breaking bread and sharing food with friends strengthened the bond between the garden members.
Building the community garden this year has been a long and sometimes stressful project. It is rare that a community project gets started and finished so soon after inception like our garden. While I’ve always been proud of that achievement, I also longed for the day when it wasn’t just a garden but a community as well. I think tonight was the start of that community really starting to thrive outside of garden and work chit chat. Seeing a project reach its full intentional is a great way to end the Summer.
Esoteric Moment 