I kept waiting for a day—a day where I felt inspired and particularly eloquent. I’ve felt inspired plenty of times, and perhaps even eloquent once or twice, but ever since my surgery I’ve not been able to put the right words together. I haven’t even known what to write about. I tried once or twice, but it felt forced.
I felt like I missed the end of summer and most of those bright, crisp fall days that trick you into thinking winter might not be so bad after all. I watched life go by from my recliner, then through short walks down the driveway and eventually all the way to the mailbox. It wasn’t all bad—not even mostly bad. I was (and am) thankful for so many things—mainly my health and my loved ones.
I watched as the Boyfriend took over the gardening duties (all the duties, for that matter) and delighted in the fact that it truly is our garden. He weeded, watered, and harvested. He wrangled our sunflowers as they threatened to collapse under their own floppy weight and take the corn down with them. He waged an all-out war against our one zucchini plant, and depending on the day, the victor is still up for debate. As a side note, thank goodness the dogs trampled that second zucchini plant early in the season. Still, I was sad to miss the most fruitful time of the year in the garden. I did my best to help by making more zucchini dishes than I’d care to admit. (If you ever need some recipes for zucchini . . . ) I never got a year-end picture of the garden, but I did snap a few of our fall harvest. Perhaps I’ll post those in the dreary days of January when sweet corn seems like it must grow in a distant fantasy world.
But the thing I’ve struggled to write about most is the incredible love and support I’ve felt in these last few months. The outpouring of kindness from friends and family has been indescribable. When other people have fallen on hard times, I’ve always struggled to find the right thing to say and felt awkward in my ultimate decision. But I realized this fall that it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter what you say or how you say it—it only matters that you do. Knowing people are behind you, thinking about you, and sending positive thoughts your way is all that matters.
So here’s to a great 2011. I’m starting to realize that years aren’t defined by the presence or absence of challenges and hard times, but the way you choose to handle them. Life inevitably brings challenges, but those challenges can make life richer and deeper than you ever knew. Wishing you and yours the best in the upcoming year!
