By Barbara Lawson

Founder of Meet Me in the Dirt

We all face moments when life feels overwhelming, especially after losing someone close. When I lost my mother, Nita, I sought peace and balance. Surprisingly, I found solace in the soil. Digging my hands into the earth and spending hours in my garden wasn’t just a distraction—it became a path to healing.

As we celebrate Black History Month, I reflect on how gardening has long been a tool of resilience in Black communities. From the Victory Gardens of the 1940s to today’s urban farming movements, gardening represents survival, growth, and self-determination.

This connection inspired Meet Me in the Dirt, not just as a business but as a sanctuary where healing happens naturally. Through gardening, grounding, and mindfulness, I’ve reconnected with myself and witnessed how these practices nurture others in my community.

I was inspired to learn how the mission of Meet Me in the Dirt aligns with Caltrans’ Clean California initiative, which aims to restore and beautify shared spaces by transforming areas plagued by litter into places of pride and healing. Litter affects us all, turning public spaces into sites of neglect and harm. Clean California works to break this cycle by removing litter, creating jobs, and educating communities—empowering everyone to help keep our state clean.

This Black History Month, I encourage my community to honor the legacy of resilience and stewardship in Black communities by protecting and beautifying the spaces we call home.

Here are three simple ways to connect with nature, improve your environment, and make a difference:

Start Small: Plant a houseplant or begin a garden bed. Tending to something living fosters patience and presence.

Clean Up and Ground Down: Pick up litter in your neighborhood, then take a moment to ground yourself—stand barefoot on grass or soil to calm your mind.

Reflect and Plan: Keep a journal to track your thoughts while outdoors. Write one small step you can take to beautify your surroundings.

Change starts with each of us. Together, we can transform parks, lots, and roadsides into spaces of beauty, community, and restoration, as the Clean California initiative reminds us.

Barbara Lawson is a creative entrepreneur and founder of Meet Me in the Dirt, a statewide platform dedicated to healing through gardening, mindfulness, and expressive arts. Through her work, Barbara fosters growth and change through meaningful connections with nature

Visit CleanCA.com to learn more, and for more about Meet Me in the Dirt, visit Meetmeinthedirt.com.