Garden Therapy

I will not lie.  I had a tough winter.  The Holiday Season coupled with the expensive New England heating season is usually enough to send me reeling.  This year, I had the added stress of my son turning 18 and having his Father pull the plug on any financial responsibility for him, despite the fact that he goes to college full time and works part time and is an amazing young man.  Then, the Landlord who refused to fix the heat in the house we lived in for 8 years that resulted in us literally having to pack up our lives with 2 weeks notice and move to another house.  There were so many more details…court dates….the pain my children endured at the hands of their Father and his Mother that I will not go into but, suffice it to say, it was a bad 4 months emotionally.  I pulled myself together and pulled it all off like the bad-ass single Mama Bear that I am but, when the shit hits the fan for me like that and I have to go into fight mode for months on end I usually check out a little afterwards.

One night, I was talking to my Dad on the phone and mentioned growing some green beans…I love them and they usually grow so easily.  I said it in passing but, two days later my Dad showed up with a dump truck load of top soil!  I went out with my daughter to buy some seeds and two tomato plants.  I planted them right away and waited.  They started to sprout and I watered them each day.

One day, I came home from work to find three new tomato plants, two green pepper plants and some flowers planted in my garden.  I knew of only one person who would do that.  I called my Dad and thanked him.  I could hear the happiness in his voice.

Life has calmed down a bit.  My garden is thriving.  I am thrilled!  I tend to it each day and talk about it to anyone who will listen.  I can keep people alive like there’s no tomorrow (which is a good quality for a Nurse lol) but, plants were always another thing.

I am happier that I have been in a long time.

I called my Dad the other day and told him how bad things were for me last winter and how much better I was feeling, thanks in part, to the garden he helped me grow.  When I am in crisis I rarely ask for help.  He knows that.  I am 49 and he is 72 and I think we finally figured out how to be there for each other.

I have to say, there is no better feeling in the world, than to pull up in your driveway, and see that someone was thinking about you, with so much love, that they had to come over and secretly plant things in the garden they knew you were excited about.

Who needs therapy when you have green beans?