Out In The Garden

I’ve been looking for a new pair of shoes recently, and that search led me to the Montgomery Mall.

While I, unfortunately, did not find any shoes, I did meet a nice man named Ian as I was heading out of the mall.

He was there for the same reason as me, just taking the afternoon to get some shopping done.

Ian was born and raised in DC, though he told me he has family all over the US.

He works at NIH, and interestingly enough, his college major was the one I am interested in.

When I asked him what it is like to be a biomedical engineering major, he admitted that it is difficult.

However, Ian insisted that he did not regret it and that it was a great major, especially because it gave several different career options.

Shifting the conversation, I asked him what a hobby of his was, and he replied with “Gardening, apparently”.

It made me laugh that he seemed unaware of this hobby, and Ian explained that his wife had recently pointed it out to him. 

Meet Ian

What brings him joy?

His wife was completely right, because Ian said that gardening in his yard is actually a great source of joy for him.

Just recently, he planted a rosemary plant that he would eventually use in the kitchen.

Like many other hobbies, gardening helps him take his mind off work and other stresses, which everyone needs to do once in a while.

Being out in the sun has a special way of doing that, especially through gardening on a nice day.

As Ian agreed, it is quite easy to get cooped up in the house and forget about the outdoors that can be enjoyed, so gardening is a great way to remember that.