Offline edition: gardening to save the world

Los Angeles is, most months of the year, an absolutely beautiful place to be outside. For someone who grew up somewhere it regularly snowed in October, each day that the temperature stays above 40—virtually every day—feels like vacation. It makes me want to be outside all of the time. But as I’ve gotten older and the years on computer have accumulated, I’ve forgotten exactly what it is that one is supposed to even do outside, so harshly have computer and phone rotted my brain. I’m also in dire need of physical activity, as I’m starting to accumulate injuries that come with not moving enough (which I will get into eventually, elsewhere). I used to trawl the LA Works website for volunteering opportunities, eager for something outdoors, and was always disappointed.

One day I was biking back from somewhere and took a detour through a nearby park—riding a bike around with no particular purpose, a concept nearly lost to me—and passed by a sign staked in a plot of native plants. It was asking for volunteers, and directed me to a website. I went and signed up, and then showed up at 9 a.m. on a Sunday at the park in my closed-toed shoes, long pants, and long shirt sleeves, alongside nearly 30 other volunteers.