The Generosity of Volunteers

During these summer days I pause to honor the generosity of Prospect Garden volunteers. They sustain a green space that benefits neighbors, users of the Southwest Path, small animals, birds, and insects. Hopefully, the milkweed nourishes migrating monarchs, in decline because of disappearing habitat. This year bunnies ("cute" depending on your perspective) are new residents, requiring fencing for new plantings. I reluctantly accept the new residents while regretting the damage done to some plants as they emerge during the spring.  

I continue with relaying statements, which I requested, from several individuals about why they volunteer at Prospect Gardens. Afterwards I reflect on generosity. Much what I say reflects the teachings of the Buddha. I end with a poem for your further reflection. . 

Here's the June 21st crew. Starting on the left front row: Joyce, Percy, and Peggy; second  row: Astrid, Bruce, Ann N.; top row: Gregory, Ryan, me, and Becky. Laura took the picture. 

Laura said she volunteers because of the Possibility of Ann’s lemon bars.  (her emoji). This is an understatement of why Laura has tended the Gardens for many years.  

Laura's statement acknowledges the generosity of my wife, Ann B. Besides providing lemon bars, Ann tended the Gardens and cleaned the path's ramps.  Ann also kept records about number of volunteers and total time. These were shared with the City Engineering Green Space Coordinator, Maddie Dumas. Data was used when David applied for a grant that funded the small prairie and seating area bordering his home in the Regent neighborhood and at the junction of the Path and Commonwealth Avenue. The seating area is an oasis for passersby including me. 

Becky in her floral bib overalls, perfect attire for gardening. Perhaps these should be the official Prospect Garden attire for volunteers and in recognition of their dedication. 

I volunteer for the community and the opportunity to take care of a public green space. Working on a shared goal with others is a great way to stay motivated and excited about the work. It's wonderful to see how much we can improve the space in just 3 hours when we work together. There are a lot of shared green spaces throughout Madison and we can make them a beautiful space for people and critters by volunteering! (Becky)

Astrid and I  worked for the Environmental Resources Center before we retired. The Center is now part of the UW Madison Extension's Natural Resources Institute.

I consider volunteering a responsibility we have to our community, a division of labor that helps everyone. It's kind of an assertion of our humanity; we take care of our earth, take care of each other, and take care of our community. Besides that, it's fun to work together with a mix of people. I especially like volunteering at Prospect because the people are interesting and the work we do at the gardens helps maintain a little ecosystem that lots of people on the bike path enjoy. (Astrid)

Gregory getting ready to leave after the June 21st session . He was on his way to the Capitol Square Saturday Market.

Volunteering is community building. I feel in current American culture we have ventured down a road of isolation, individualism, and division. Community is our remedy. Getting together with people you don't know well, coming together for one common goal. But, not a goal achieving wealth or status. Instead a goal of beautification. Of pride in up keeping one's community and green spaces. Being the change and maintaining it. We are social creatures. And nothing brings us closer together than working the land we share. (Gregory)

Ann N. in a picture from a 2024 work session. The gayfeathers (blazing stars) are once again starting to bloom. My wife Ann and I have known Ann N. for many years. Ann's daughter and our daughter, Emily, were friends starting with grade school and through high school. Our daughters were Girl Scouts together. 

Here's Ann N's three part response to why she volunteers at Prospect Gardens..   

Community

Volunteering at the gardens has connected me to old friends in a delightful way. When I first came, I looked forward to seeing some people I already knew - you and Ann. I have also had a chance to get to know some wonderful people from the neighborhood, and to run into old acquaintances I hadn't seen for many years. It's a community. And it's a multi-age community on the best days, not always a common occurrence but an important one. Our society tends to be age-segregated and I like talking to people of different ages.

Service

The blooms along the bike path are a gift to all who pass by. They are a reminder to notice the earth and to take care of it.

Treats

Things you don't always get at home.

Peggy in a picture from a 2024 work session. Peggy writes:

The reason I decided to volunteer is that I spend way too much time gardening in my own yard and I thought it made sense to cut back on my own yard and do something I like to do (garden), but with more of a community focus.  Also, the people are very nice and that includes you, Jake.  

As a result of volunteering at Prospect, Peggy and Ann N. have reconnected. I recently met them chatting while they walked together on the Southwest Path.  Ann N. was a Madison English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher and French teacher. Peggy has a background in ESL and they connected at school events as their children attended school together. Peggy's son was in Ann's French class.  

Peggy also has a past connection with Becky. Peggy taught  Norwegian at UW and Becky was one of her students.  Both now enjoy tending Prospect Gardens. 

Here's Joyce, a longtime volunteer. If I recall right, she is one of the initial volunteers when the Gardens were established in 2010.  Joyce, a resident of the Regent Neighborhood, is also a valuable connection to the Regent Neighborhood Association's Board. The Board, along with the Dudgeon Monroe Neighborhood Association's Board, financially supports the Gardens.

In response to my request, Joyce reflected on why she volunteers for other efforts besides Prospect Gardens. Here's the edited version relevant to Prospect Gardens:

The answer, for me, was actually harder to put into words than I thought it would be. I volunteer to do activities that I like doing. For the bike path - that is obvious - I enjoy gardening/digging in the dirt/watching things grow, etc. The next question becomes - so why at the places where I choose to volunteer. Again - taking the bike path as an example - because it is a part of where I live. I want to 'improve/help' my 'community' with my efforts. A very positive outcome of the bike path volunteering, in particular, is that I got to know others with similar interests and whom I came to enjoy. I think that was not the reason I initially volunteered (ie - to meet people), but it became a very positive outcome. 

Rajeev (sitting on the rail) past President of  Madison West High School's Leo club and other members, like Gaon, regularly tend Prospect Gardens. Rajeev will be attending the UW-Madison in the Fall. Rajeev responded by saying:

I volunteer because it connects me with my community and with people around me. I also love to be outside and support my local  environment, giving back a little. All of these are reasons that I volunteer.

Generosity underlies the behavior of the quoted volunteers. Buddhism holds that generosity is one of the highest virtues leading to happiness and supporting enlightenment. The Buddha often  stressed the importance of generosity, as he did in this passage from the Pali Canon.

Monks, if people knew, as I know, the fruits of

sharing gifts, they would not enjoy their use without

sharing them, nor would the taint of stinginess obsess the

heart. Even if it were their last bit, their last morsel of

food, they would not enjoy its use without sharing it if

there was someone else to share it with.”

Itivuttaka 18

Prospect Garden volunteers do not suffer the "taint of  stinginess." They give freely time, energy, and labor and with minimal, if any, expectations of material gain. Giving without expecting a gain is the highest form of generosity, according to Buddhism.

 

I now share more about generosity along with pictures of plants in bloom at Prospect Gardens. My primary source is Sylvia Boorstein's book Pay Attention, For Goodness Sake. Practicing the Perfections of the Heart, the Buddhist Path of Kindness. Sylvia considers herself a Buddhist and a Jew. Here's a link to her website.

 Her book classifies generosity as one of the ten paramitas. Generosity is the first chapter, an indicator of its importance. The others paramitas are morality, renunciation, wisdom, energy, patience, truthfulness, determination, lovingkindness, and equanimity. Collectively, according to Sylvia, the paramitas are habits that when incorporated into everyday living result in attitudes and behaviors that benefit individuals and society.

Purple Cone with a Busy Bee

Sylvia's chapter increased my understanding of generosity. Initially I viewed generosity as an exchange between individuals and usually involving money or something tangible; i.e., giving money to favorite charities or holiday presents to a deserving family.

Generosity to Sylvia is essentially the "habit of sharing."  She also points out that we can be generous to ourselves; for example, by letting go of our obsessive thought. I never thought of generosity in this way or as a habit that can be developed.  

Great Black Wasp on Mountain Mint 

Sylvia reminds us that "... we all have something we could give away." She has in mind more than our money and/or material goods. She points out that we can give away companionship, encouragement, and care.

Sylvia likes to tell stories about generosity and several are in a section entitled "Resounding Success." One of her favorite  is about James Baraz, another notable Spirit Rock meditation teacher. James often tells this story during retreats he leads and years after it actually happened.

James was attending a silent retreat. During one of his afternoon work assignments the cook gave him a piece of cheesecake, which was not served to retreatants during lunch. He was delighted. Rather than eating it himself he  divided the piece into fours. He ate one piece and put the other three near the cleaned dishes of his friends. At this retreat individuals washed their own dishes. During the evening meal, James delighted in watching his friends' surprise and pleasure of finding and eating the cheesecake.   

Yellow Coneflower 

Perfecting the capacity for generosity requires being mindful or as Sylvia stated being "alert for every opportunity that presents itself."  Daily opportunities for generosity present themselves.   

During Emily's childhood we cared for pets for many neighbors when they went on vacation.  I recall several weeks when Star, a neighbor's Schipperke, stayed at our house. Star and our dog Sugar were the best of friends. Sometimes  when I arrived home from work, Star would bark at me. I had to remind him this was my home and that he was a guest. At that time, I never considered us being the neighborhood caretaker of pets as practicing generosity. We were just being neighborly and now I consider being neighborly as offering many opportunities to practice generosity.  

Native Bee Balm

 As we cultivate the "habit of sharing"  (Sylvia's words) we experience more than just feeling good. She explains:

" The sharing itself, the generous act, will became the habit by which I can experience directly the joy of not feeling needy, the ease of a peaceful mind."

Not feeling needy and a peaceful mind generates contentment. In other words, one ultimate benefit of generosity is a deep feeling of being contented with one's life.  

Cutleaf Coneflower

Supporting the cultivation of generosity is recognizing that life is challenging. Seeing clearly that life is difficult and stressful (suffering to use a Buddhist term) can motivate us to  act in ways that provide comfort to ourselves and others who share with us the difficulties of life. 

If not already practicing generosity, Sylvia encourages us to intentionally cultivate the "habit of sharing" and to do so frequently.  She encourages us to partner with a friend, talk often with the friend about the experience, and focus on this question; " Who is around me that I can do something for?"

Joe Pye Weed 

 If you wish to learn more about the Buddhist perspective on generosity here's a link  

Meanwhile, the Gardens are entering their show-off time. Plants such as the above and others are blooming. If in the Madison area be generous to yourself by visiting Prospect Gardens.

 Thank you to those who are volunteering. Your generosity is greatly appreciated. If you are not a current volunteer, please consider being one, which would be a very generous act and also so appreciated. Contact me and I will provide instructions for joining the established Google group used to communicate with volunteers. I will also connect you with the Crew Chiefs, Ryan and Becky, who now manage and lead the collective efforts which sustains Prospect Gardens. 

Before closing with the poem for your further reflection, here's an updated picture of the young colt. The teenager now has golden brown feathers and is almost fully grown. What a generous gift from Mother Nature.

When Giving Is All We Have  (Alberto Rios)

One river gives

Its journey to the next.

We give because someone gave to us.
We give because nobody gave to us.

We give because giving has changed us.
We give because giving could have changed us.

We have been better for it,
We have been wounded by it—

Giving has many faces: It is loud and quiet,
Big, though small, diamond in wood-nails.

Its story is old, the plot worn and the pages too,
But we read this book, anyway, over and again:

Giving is, first and every time, hand to hand,
Mine to yours, yours to mine.

You gave me blue and I gave you yellow.
Together we are simple green. You gave me

What you did not have, and I gave you
What I had to give—together, we made

Something greater from the difference.