Writeriffic Publishing, Interview with Eva Shaw

Interview with Eva Shaw

Writer, speaker, expert on managing grief and recovery, teacher and gardener, Dr. Shaw invited the editors of WPG into her garden, on a clear but chilly February, to talk about writing, Shovel It and life.

WPG	You've written and ghosted more than 70 books, many celebrities and notable experts. Why write about gardening as a way to become healthier?
Eva	My family tree is ripe with horticultural know-it-alls and a few certified green thumbs. I've been gardening since I was old enough to stick a twig in the ground to see if it'd grow. I've garden when life's been upside down and when it's been bliss. In the last five years, I've taken the lessons nature gives us in the garden to heart. I know without a doubt I'm able to better handle whatever life throws my way when I have time in the garden. There are many ways to health, yet more Americans garden for pleasure than going to fitness clubs, being in therapy or doing aerobics. Gardening is typically free, most of us have one, and the results make us healthier and happier.
WPG	Why now?
Eva	What started out as a personal questions for reasons became a quest to learn more about the role nature plays in good health. I realized that I couldn't keep this a secret. Life today is hard work. Most of us have half the time we'd like because we're commuting, squeezing in parenting and childrearing, working longer and harder than before. These stressors are causing more illnesses and deaths that the medical community understands. As I gathered scientific and anecdotal research and interview, it became clear I had to share what I've learned.
WPG	Since this is more than a book on how to handle stress but a program to live healthier and restore the body, why do you include growing tips and gardening photo journals ideas?
Eva	Medical research proves that just looking at a garden can help patients heal faster, require less anti-depressants, and manage pain. So the tips, garden ideas including the photo and writing journals, bring us into the garden, then Nature can makes us feel better and possibly life longer.
WPG	You write a lot about Nature and write that this is Nature's Health Plan. Does one have to believe in this theory to become well?
Eva	The therapy in the garden, that which Nature provides, is free for most of us and right in the backyard. Because it doesn't cost a bundle, like most "cures" in our society, some people can't believe one can lower blood pressure, restore health after a heart attack, deal with depression and improve self image bybeing in the garden. In our world, "free" sometimes mean useless. "Free" for Nature means that it's available for everyone. Nature's waiting to share the bounty of health, peace and happiness. I urge those Doubting Thomas's and Tammie's to try Shovel It, with an open mind for a few weeksand prove or disprove the plan for better health and more peace.
WPG	Can we switch topics and get personal about your garden? Have you ever had a black thumb?
Eva	You mean have my garden plants ever died? You bet. I can no longer, and I think it's official, plant Maidenhair Fern or Gardenias. Seriously, my garden thrives with love, water and food. Like all relationships, including the one I have with God, if I don't give my garden attention it wilts. My garden is a playful area, never perfect, always demanding, and constantly changing. There's work to do each day and that's why I love it. I'm needed and get so much back. Ask any gardener or read the research in the book, garden can make you well and keep you healthy. As I talk about in the book, I share the bounty with friends, family, colleagues and neighbors. The more I share, the more Nature provides. It's with this spirit that I share my garden in Shovel It. The garden is therapy for the gardener and therapy for those who share what the garden offers.