Zion…Bryce Canyon…Capitol Reef…Arches…Canyonlands. Five US National Parks running in southern Utah from west to east. 12 days, Sue and I, Airbnbs in Orderville, Tropic, Torrey and Moab.
Talk about good medicine for the mind and the soul….most days so quiet, the warm dry air perfect for hikes, breathtaking views of a geography completely new to us and far different from what we’ve seen, and where we live. It was an utterly perfect way to unwind after a pretty consistently busy year to date, and an opportunity for which I am so grateful.
What did I ponder while out taking in mountains and canyons? Lots, but the most important reflections were around my second career arc, where I’ve been and what’s to come.
I pondered the impact of social networking - which often seems like the burden of social networking.
The impact of social media on our culture, country, politics - the world - has been hanging heavy on me the past few years. This year’s garden - the incessant heat, the number of plants - seemed more burdensome than usual, no doubt party due to the fact that the passage of time takes its toll on stamina, and desire to have such ambitious gardens each year.
This is the tip of the iceberg of my thoughts, and is a sufficient distillate to set up the next part of this post - what I plan to do about it all. Without going into great detail on each point, here is a summary of my plans going forward:
Social media - I plan to simply leave Twitter, begin to close down my personal page on Facebook, but continue with my Facebook Author Page to take me through upcoming planned events to help drive awareness. My primary means of communication via social media will be Instagram. And yet, even given this, I will be posting far less. My hope is that those who follow my gardening exploits will move on to…..
Blogging and Newsletters - Less social posting will mean more communication through my blog and quarterly newsletters - at least that is my aspiration. I will be taking advice from my daughter/coach, Sara, on all of these transitions.
Direct email - I’ve had a long time practice of encouraging questions sent to me via personal email, and I plan to continue that. However, response time to emails could increase a bit - typically I answer the day I receive them, but it may stretch to a week or so…we shall see.
Future gardens - Smaller, less plants, easier to maintain - out of necessity. Continued reduction/eventual closure of the Dwarf Tomato Breeding Project will be a consequence. With a desire to get away with Sue and travel more, and a continuing pretty busy speaking schedule, biting off more than I can chew simply doesn’t make sense. We are probably only a few years away from downsizing and relocating anyway.
Spring seedlings - more limited, less plants, but continuing as long as I can find time to get seedlings stared and well cared for, but tied in to the Future Gardens point as well.
Book 3 - the Dwarf Tomato Project book - this will become the main priority until it is completed and released. I hope to use time saved from reduction of efforts as outlined above to wrap this up at last. It is long over due, and will feel great - and bring on relief! - when it is finally finished.
I welcome anyone’s opinions on my plans. It seems the right thing to do at the moment. To tell the truth, this is the beginning of my departure from all social networking…one has to start somewhere!
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All that remains of the 2019 driveway garden