We often spend most of our life working inside our offices, behind walls, stuck in cubicles and endlessly engaged with our computer screens. Work travels with us, on our phones, our iPads…while social media constantly distracts and keeps us away from what is real in this world. Hours, days and weeks fly by, until we ultimately ask, “What have we really done for ourselves lately?”
Where is the simple beauty of life? Where can one go to regenerate, relax, and get away from this digital, fast paced world? Well…how about a simple garden!
This past weekend my grandparents visited me in Orlando, and I wanted to take them away from the Theme Parks, somewhere different. So, I did a little research and asked around, and discovered that tucked away, but very near the downtown Orlando area, is a beautiful 50 acre botanical garden…Harry P. Leu Gardens. I really didn’t have very high expectations for the day, so, much to my delight, I was pleasantly surprised at what I found on the grounds. Not only were there gorgeous flowers and varieties of plants, but they also had a fun LEGO exhibition that was intertwined within the garden grounds.
We came upon the first piece, a peacock made of LEGOs with the back drop of the lake behind it. It’s pretty amazing what people have been able to build with such a simple toy. We continued down to the lake lookout point and right beneath our eyes a couple of small turtles were swimming around with the fish in the water. Continuing down the path, we ran into some more LEGO sculptures, a dragonfly, a monarch butterfly and later a hummingbird in the rose garden. The LEGO farmers were tending to their vegetable garden while a large spider hung from a nearby tree. It was a path of discovery, where you didn’t quite see where you were headed until the next turn. The flowers were still not quite all in bloom, since we had just had some very cold days the past couple of months, but you could begin to see some of the flowering buds of life getting ready to begin their blooms. The day was well spent and I’m anticipating another upcoming trip in spring to catch the really colorful flowers to come.
The day at Leu Gardens really got me feeling, seeing, smelling, and sensing the world around me that always gets so lost in my everyday digital work world. I know my grandparents really enjoyed themselves as it was a breath of fresh air from their everyday routine.
Getting out of your normal routine can actually be pretty easy, and many opportunities, like stopping to smell the roses (cliche lol), are only steps outside your door.
Visit their site here for more information: Leu Gardens
LOCAL | yetnot 