I think about writing this article every time I do some gardening. One of the things I've learned to do as I’ve got older is to try to do things mindfully, and in the case of gardening, this means, where I can, working by hand. I do use power tools for some tasks, but they distance me from the earth and the plants, so I weed and trim by hand wherever I can. The thing that strikes me every time is that – however slowly and gently I go – however carefully and thoughtfully I w