The invisible work that keeps you active after 40

Tuesday morning in May. 
I'd leashed my golden retriever, Jasper. We were ready to head out on our morning walk and check out our neighbors’ beautiful yards. 

The bunnies and squirrels excite Jasper.
For me its what's flowering and the beauty in the arrangements of the plants.

Just as I was about to head out the door, I got these two texts a couple minutes apart.
One from a fellow gardening enthusiast that was new to the scene.
The other was from a long time hobbyist gardener who recently got her license as a flower farmer.

The first image was of hot pink fringed white blooms on a barely one foot tall dahlia. ‘It’s just mid May,’ I thought, ‘dahlias are late summer and fall blooming. If they’re forced to bloom early, they expend their energy on current flowers instead of establishing strong, deep root system and stems.’ 

The second image was an ecstatic combination of butter yellow Poet’s Wife roses and Crown Peach Margarita peach rose buds.

I saw three dots appear on the screen… and she said:

“They are both in their second year, the first year for both was meh. I think this year will be better!”

Standing at the door, my golden’s eyes glued on me with that “Mom, are we going?!” look, I thought..

Those roses weren’t idling away the first year they didn’t put on a show.
They were doing the work of growing their roots and establishing the strong stems that will feed into blooms the following year.

That work lives under the ground.
Nobody sees it.
Nobody knows except the rose itself.

And the rose isn’t doubting itself, 
Wondering if it’s doing the right thing not putting energy to put out blooms for you right away…
Whether it’s really doing the “right thing” putting out those roots.
It just does it consistently and quietly. 

You want to put on a show.
To share the “I ran 5 miles today” texts.
The pictures of bike rides around Lopez island.
To do the advanced yoga pose easily.
Fit into the smaller jeans.
Maintain the workout streak.

What is actually supporting your body enough to do those things without paying for it later?
Where is your inventory of body practice to fuel it? 

I’m not talking about grinding through harder workouts, lifting heavier weights, or an hour of fitness class. That might’ve worked in your 20s or even your 30s.

I’m talking about the less glamorous work, the kind that restores how you move, how you distribute effort through your whole body, how you recover, how your knees handle walking hills, stairs, hikes, gardening, and getting up off the floor.

Because when your body has that foundation, activity stops feeling like something you survive and recover from… and starts feeling like something that actually nourishes you again.

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