RE: Grow Your Own Garden

"Plant your own garden, decorate your own soul and know that you are strong......"


These are lines from a poem I found hanging on the wall of a college office where I worked in the "80's.


The message this poem sends to those who are open to it is one that has an enduring affect long after the paper it was copied onto has disintegrated at the folds, smudged by oily chocolate chip stains with drips and drops of brown coffee saturating the words trying to hide the poem's truth.


I don't know who wrote it. It was signed by the infamous "anonymous". What I do know is that it has saved me time and time again from feeling sorry for myself, from becoming a victim of circumstance, from falling into the trap of daily female whining.


There are days when my head hurts so bad I want to crawl back into bed and succumb to sleep; there are times when the laundry basket is so high I can't see out my window (just to clarify - the basket sits on top of my machine) or when my children are struggling so hard with a difficult issue that I want to hold them, cry with them and then run away.


Instead, I choose to get up and take Bella for her walk, start sorting the underwear and just take the time to really listen to my family's problems, hoping that they know they are not alone, that they were heard and that they carry the strength within them to solve their dilemma without it turning into a full blown out drama (not pretty for anyone and much harder to reconcile gracefully later).


In each of us there is the strength to see ourselves through our days with the tools we were given. Some of us have more tools than others, but still we all have some tools or the ability to acquire them if we are open to seeing the world and our day(s) with a positive attitude. This is not to belittle those with severe depression problems, just to differentiate between a true problem and a minor blip on our life's radar screen.


I am thankful for the friends, acquaintances, and passersby that have come my way over the span of my lifetime. Some are still with me, some have gone, and some are still waiting to come into my world. These people have held my hand, have opened the window of knowledge, have given me the tenderness and sometimes the critical words to kick my butt into the next stage. Without all of them I would have been a walking, talking, whiny victim.



The colors of one's garden depends on the vision you see for yourself. Do you want to be seen as blue as the water or as sunny as a daffodil? Do you want to be strong - like red or weak like the color of a bland tea? What is your dream color? Who do you wish to be when you grow up? What is the color of your legacy when you are no longer here to physically touch those you love?


Do not wait for tomorrow. Do not wish upon your future. Instead, make today your own, "Plant that garden, decorate your soul, embellish your artwork, and smile, knowing that you are strong, that you have worth, and that you will endure....."


Good thoughts on a clear day from one beautiful woman and her adorable puppy to many others!


Laura Anne and Bella Boo

P.S. My "kids" will tell you I am really this "mushy". LOL