Dear Friends-- While we all attempt to adjust to our world-wide rapidly evolving reality, when we pause to reflect, the surreality of our current reality shakes us at our very roots. We all have many blessings that ground us and offer strength to face each new worry and that mitigate a world of human sadness. Yet, in the middle of this, we each have our own universes to worry about -- kids, parents, work, grocery shopping-- all while trying to care for our own physical and mental health. How are you doing? Let me know. Please send me a note. The kids and I are managing fairly well, mostly working from home. Botany of Design is open for business. I have adapted my services in an effort to maintain social distancing and safe interactions. In particular, all meetings are now conducted outside, maintaining the six or more feet of distance, and the majority of the site analysis and design inspiration is conducted separately and/ or virtually. It has been a bit of a learning process for us all, but it is working out mostly well. I have been designing gardens in the San Francisco Bay Area for over 20 years. As a business owner, I have faced many challenges over these years. Each challenge has taught me well and ultimately strengthened my belief in this wonderful work that I am fortunate to commit my life to. Over the past couple of years, I have been incorporating a deeper sense of meaning into this work. Now, more than ever, I am convinced that this shift in emphasis in my work is needed in our community which has for many years suffered from overwhelm, strife, inequity, and poorly mis-focused anger. We know that artistic beauty is vital to our well-being. We also intuit that in our science and tech-heavy community, artists offer a balance which allows us another perspective that seeks a deeper understanding in life. Accordingly, it is imperative that we all understand how important the creative contributors are to our community. Without them, there is no path, no history, and no vision for the future. I am fortunate to maintain this creative work now while so many others are unable to work. I am also hopeful that my community will persist in reaching out to me so that we can partner to continue creating beautiful gardens together, and now with a higher purpose. In the coming weeks and months, I intend to invite you, my community members, into conversation so that we might join together in kindness and with plants and fungi to do our small part to emerge from this world-wide trauma, moving toward an improved future that respects our environment, beauty, a healthy lifestyle, ourselves, and each other. When you are able, reach out to let me know how I can help make your gardens more peaceful and beautiful as you shelter at home. Ask me how we can partner to incorporate more attractive edible plants into your landscape. Learn with me as we use carbon sequestering in our home gardens to help mitigate global warming. Find amazement with me while inviting fungi into your gardens. Plan with me for that wonderful Victory Garden. Invite your friends and neighbors to join us in this important work. Let us plant our seeds together as we envision a more wholesome world for all of our relations. And may our “new normal” emerge as a better normal. This is our moment.