Rooting in the Garden: Returning to the Land That Calls Me
The Calm That Comes From the Earth
I have always been a person able to ground easily. Oftentimes I have been told I have a very calming energy, especially in the face of stressful situations. Sometimes I feel that deeply, and other times I’m simply embodying the spirit of fake it till you make it. Either way, it has been a focus of mine lately to slow down and connect on a deeper level to not only myself but to the world around me.
Nature has always been my anchor. Every time I’m surrounded by trees, soil, or open sky, I feel a sense of belonging I rarely find elsewhere. This desire to connect deeply to the natural world was one of the biggest pushes for me to move back to Illinois actually. Having wild land to build a home on was the call that brought me back.
Seeking Wildness, Finding Home
For years, I resisted Illinois. I wanted vastness, seeking nature in more vast, more wild and untouched lands. That desire pulled me to the Pacific Northwest at eighteen, where I spent twelve years becoming the woman I am now. I walked over mountains, into forests, and through beaches shrouded by mist. I wandered through towering evergreens, disappeared into moss‑covered trails, and found the wildness I craved.
But even though I could disappear in the woods and find the nature I longed for, I still returned home to an apartment in the city. In my early twenties, the contrast felt exciting. I had the most fun getting to experience the best of both worlds. Eventually, though, I wanted something different. As my twenties came to a close I longed for a different sort of connection to the earth. Not one that felt like passing through, but rather one that had me fully immersed. I wanted to live on the land so that I could learn to live with the land.
Every year that passed I sought a way to find what I was seeking. But one thing about the Pacific Northwest, is it is not cheap in the slightest. I lived paycheck to paycheck, all of my money going to pay rent and bills. As many experience in today's world the idea of owning a piece of land felt like wishful thinking. So I kept searching for a way to live immersed in nature full‑time… only to realize the answer was back where my story began.
Returning to Ancestral Ground
You might have known if you read my other blog posts, my grandfather had several pieces of land out in the middle of rural Illinois. One of these plots was destined to be my future. The plot in question had a large swath of wild land, used for decades as a place for the family to graze cattle. A creek winds its way through the middle of the land and the back section is rows of crops still farmed by my cousins to this day. On this piece of land is where I decided I would seek the connection to earth that I felt pulled to.
The path hasn’t been easy. Nonetheless, it has unfolded in front of me and my soul feels like it is being pulled into alignment. Don't get me wrong! I have felt my fair share of resistance on this journey, but my vision has remained steady and I am learning to let go of expectations.Building a home is humbling, slow, and full of lessons. What I thought would take a couple of months is now approaching eight—but releasing timelines has been liberating. Every day I work on my cottage, it becomes more real, more mine.
Planting the Garden That’s Been Waiting for Me
Alongside the cottage, I knew I wanted to start my garden. Growing my own food has always felt like a natural extension of connecting to the earth. And honestly, what is a cottage oasis without a flourishing garden!?
For years I have been stockpiling seeds for my future (now present) garden not knowing when I would need them but with full delusional commitment to that future green space. NBut their time to shine came and at the beginning of the year I started to plant these little seeds, hoping that even though it was well past their expiration dates, that they would still germinate. Who even listens to expiration dates anyway…
With this in mind I may have been a little over zealous with the amount of seeds I started and low and behold, every single one of them germinated! I definitely didn't expect that! I knew I only had a few weeks to get my garden beds prepped before the seedlings needed to go into the ground. After years of desiring a garden one thing I definitely did have was a plan!
The Five‑Plant Symbiosis
As a scientist who loves researching ecosystems, microbes and the symbiosis that takes place in soil environments I knew that regenerative agriculture was a must. I wanted to try gardening techniques that emphasized the connection between plants, not just on what they could produce. I wanted to dive into companion planting, to learn how each species affects the others. How some worked together to amplify tastes, others to protect each other from pests.
In my research (aka hours of YouTube gardening rabbit holes), I found a companion‑planting method that felt aligned: each raised bed contains five species—
Root
Fruit
Leafy_green
Herb
Flower
Each plays a role in creating a balanced, symbiotic ecosystem. I’ll dive deeper into this in a future post, because it’s truly magical.
What surprised me most was how chaotic gardening—as opposed to neat, rigid rows—felt healing, resonating deeply with my soul. Letting go of perfection and simply tending the earth has yielded wild, abundant growth. My garden has exploded into full, lush life.From seeds to fully blown bushes of greenery!
Letting Go, Rooting In
Letting go of pressure and expectation has provided more than just food to fill my belly. Its provided peace. The grounding and connection I have been seeking for years is growing in front of me. Every time my fingers sink into the soil, my spirit ignites. I feel myself aligning with the land, with my purpose, with the quiet truth of who I am becoming.
I know I am in the right place, at the right time. What amazes me is stepping back and looking at the subtle coincidences that begin to add up to an exclamation of universal alignment. This year—the year I enter my thirties—is the year I begin building the future I’ve been manifesting for so long. A future of intentionality, connection, and deep relationship with the earth. One I’m honored to share with you here.
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