Unity and sadness of life in a back yard

This deep sadness, when experienced in a living environment, may not always appear outwardly beautiful or harmonious.

Hardly a day went by when it wasn’t like that, without someone coming by and telling us how much they enjoyed [the garden]. Yet it was the most ordinary thing in the world.

It is gone now. The garden is still there, but that feeling has vanished from it.

(Pages 256-257)