As I shared in my last post, we are on a gardening adventure. This adventure has taken me down paths of knowledge that I’ve never entertained before. One such path is the world of composting. It seems that organic gardening and composting go hand in hand. So off on another adventure we go!
The big question I want to ask today is: Do you eat compost? Sounds silly, but I have a reason for asking. Promise.
I didn’t even know what the word “composting” meant until recently so don’t feel bad if you’re as lost as I was. For those of you who already know, bear with me for a moment. Composting is when you save all of your organic scraps like apple cores, egg shells, and broccoli stalks, put them together with leaves and grass clippings, and water them. Over time it breaks down into a mixture that is pure nutrition for your soil.
Why compost? I mentioned that it is nutritious for your soil. Yes, soil needs nutrition. Why? It’s not alive. Well, actually it is. It’s full of living organisms, many of them we can’t even see. Compost brings and feeds diverse life to the soil such as bacteria that break down the material into needed nutrients that the plants can absorb. It also suppresses diseases and harmful pests that could overrun poor, lifeless soil.
So what do I mean by- “Do you eat compost?” It is suddenly so striking to me… the similarities between soil and humans. The soil is full of bacteria. The soil’s heath depends on the health of the bacteria. The plant’s health depends on the health of the soil. In fact, the compost actually suppresses diseases because of the healthy bacteria. Are you with me? Do you see the connection? In the past three years, I’ve come to learn that our large intestine is full of bacteria. There’s millions of bacteria living in your gut. The latest research is discovering that most of our health hinges on the health of this bacteria, called our microbiome. Just like the health of the plants depends on the health of the bacteria in the soil…the health of the human body relies on the health of the bacteria in the “soil” of our intestines. Diseases, viruses, and parasites are actually suppressed when the gut bacteria is healthy. The principles are the same! Creator God has a pattern that exists throughout nature. There are laws and principles that guide the proper functioning of all life. There’s a perfect science to it. I am in awe!
Obviously, I don’t really want you to eat your compost. But, shouldn’t we treat our bodies at least as well as we treat our soil? Think about it. Would you pour Diet Coke on your soil every day and expect your garden to grow? Of course not! Then why do we pour Diet Coke on the “soil” of our intestines and expect to be healthy? It really doesn’t make any sense.
There are principles which guide good health. Do you want to be free of disease and cancer? Believe it or not, you can do that. It requires you to fill yourself with a human version of compost- veggies, fruits, eggs, nuts, seeds, and high-quality meats. It requires you to be intentional about what you’re putting in your “soil” rather than being blind to the effects of eating junk.
I hope you’ll think about this with every spoonful, every bite, and every drink you have. Of course, none of us will do it perfectly. But, personally, I find that thinking on these things helps me to do the best I can and reap the rewards of doing so.
How about you? Would you like to be more committed to the health of your “soil?” Why is it so much easier to feed your garden better than your own body? Why do you care more about whether or not your plants have a disease than you do if you have a disease? What holds us back? How can we overcome it? How can we support one another in doing so? PLEASE share your thoughts!!
Image courtesy of Keerati at FreeDigitalPhotos.net