I spent so much time in the garden this weekend, and it made me reflect on how financial poverty has made my life so much richer in some ways. I remember how I got into gardening: Food insecurity set me on this path. I remember taking a survey where they ask, “Do you ever run out of money before you buy necessary groceries?” My first thought was, “No.” There’s always enough food for myself and my children in the home, but after further dissection of the question I had to answer, “Yes.”
The question asks, “Have you ever run out of money, not credit card space.?” I was masking my food insecurity with a high-interest debt.
The reality was, I often ran out of money before I paid for food, but I would just put it on my credit card. I’m a Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s shopper. I was before the divorce, and I committed to being one after the divorce. In my household, we are pretty healthy and clean eaters, and I vowed that the divorce would not negatively affect how my children or I were nourished. So I was putting high-ass Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods groceries on a card with nearly 30% interest.
Writing that makes my stomach hurt. Once I realized that, I went on a mission to stop using my credit card for consumable goods. I was in a program called Rung for Women where they gave away garden fresh organic produce twice a week. I utilized this program to acquire produce for my family’s meals and significantly reduced my grocery bill.
Then I signed up for a farm apprenticeship program through Urban Harvest. They gave us a bunch of garden fresh organic produce, taught us how to garden and paid us to learn.
I don’t think those organizations realize how clutch they were in saving my family from debt-circumvented food insecurity. That was probably one of the most financially vulnerable periods of my life, but I was in the sunshine daily, in great company and eating the best I’ve probably ever eaten due to trying to eat all of the veggies they gave us before they went bad. That combination probably did as much good to my mental health as it did for my physical health.
Fast forward and I am in a much better position financially, but still gardening. Not for a necessity, but because it feels good. It’s exciting, and it makes me healthier in so many ways. I have been out gardening for hours and felt euphoric when I got home.
I told myself that even if the garden doesn’t produce anything, I would still be grateful for the sunlight, exercise, time in nature and time with myself. If financial poverty had not steered me in that direction, I may not have ever found this thing that gives me so much joy.
My bike was another treasure I found through financial poverty. I purchased my bike off of Facebook Marketplace when my car broke down. At that time it was my only source of transportation. This was a challenging time because I have two kids to transport.
I stretched out biking as my primary mode of transportation for as long as I could before asking for help, but this was my rock-bottom. It made everything so much more time-consuming, stressful, and not to mention hot and sweaty. Getting a car restored my bike experience from one of lack and necessity to one of abundance and appreciation.
I feel rich when I can take a bike ride in the middle of the day with no obligation. I feel rich when the wind blows against my skin and the sun kisses my face as I ride down hills. I am appreciative that my body can still find joy in the practice of riding a bike. I feel grateful that even during that time, God paid attention to the details.
See, this bike was not the bike in the ad on Facebook Marketplace. When I arrived, the bike advertised wasn’t working properly. The seller said she had another bike that might suit my needs. It was a yellow bike with white wall tires. This is important because during that time I was filling my life with yellow things.
The color yellow is linked to our solar plexus, a source of power and will. I was doing everything I could to invite my power back to me and to know that my life wasn’t acting up on me, but that I had the power to create it.
I ride this bike at least once a week to my favorite park and sit under my favorite tree. I often think about the story of this bike and how it has evolved. I often think about all the gifts the hard times gave me.
Cooking was another gift I found while under financial strain. I’ve always been a pretty good cook, but having limited funds forced me to recreate meals I desired at home on a smaller budget. To this day, whenever I go out to eat I’m searching my palate for familiar tastes, textures and spices with the thought in mind, “Can I cook this for less money?” Oftentimes the answer is yes. I have also become a master of the leftover makeover. I can transform leftovers to break up the monotony of being kind to my account. I am super grateful for this gift and all the vegan recipe bloggers that helped me along the way.
I recall a conversation with fellow writer, Getty Israel, who told me she wrote a book called, “When Poor Was Healthy.” Without ever reading the book, I know this sentiment to be true because I’ve experienced it. I know that financial poverty can create wealth in so many other areas of your life and can give you a rich appreciation and awareness of the simple yet beautiful things in life. I’m not here to glorify poverty—it comes with its own set of challenges, stressors and distractions—but I do appreciate how the creator puts beauty in all seasons.
This MFP Voices essay does not necessarily represent the views of the Mississippi Free Press, its staff or board members. To submit an opinion for the MFP Voices section, send up to 1,200 words and sources fact-checking the included information to voices@mississippifreepress.org. We welcome a wide variety of viewpoints.
