Thriving in the Garden...

Well hello, my fellow readers and dog friends. Yes, it's the one and only Trevor or T Man, bringing you this special planted blog post. Brenda asked if I would be so kind to share this time around and I was only too happy to oblige. 

This one is going to be about thriving. Gardening was a special activity for Brenda's mother and seeing things grow and thrive, was a great source of satisfaction for her. Brenda got the idea for this planted blog post because of that. 

Brenda is currently on what she calls mental health days or a few staycation days off from work. Next Monday will be her 37th work anniversary, something she thought would never happen, when she was first diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) 34 years ago. In spite of all that she has been through, she has managed to thrive. Get where we are going with this? BOL Hi Seth, we have missed you. He loves it when I do that. 

Brenda had a nice conversation with someone after the employee recognition banquet, where she received the most beautiful bouquet of flowers for her 36 years of service. Anyway, back to that conversation. She was told that she was not like most people, as they would be resistant to change. You see, a little over a year ago, Brenda started a whole new path in relationship to her job at the clinic. It was something completely different, but it turns out that it was one of the best things and she truly enjoys it. It entails a little detective work, something Brenda has always aspired to. Maybe because her father was in law enforcement, who knows, but it was been a great fit for her. 

Speaking of being resistant to change, sometimes there is no choice. In the case of learning and adapting to living with a chronic illness like RA, is not an easy feat. It actually took another life change, being diagnosed with a brain tumor and undergoing a craniotomy, for her to see the light. It took years, almost 21 to be exact. That's a long time, but along with that light bulb moment, came opportunities. 

Brenda has been struggling for many months now. As has been mentioned in previous planted blog posts, she lost her kindred spirit. It's been an ache, that doesn't suddenly go away. Brenda lives alone and has been pretty much isolated, so that is why getting out and performing her job is paramount. 

Getting back to her mental health days. This is the time of year when a plethora of anniversaries are remembered, good and bad. Yesterday, was 37 years that her sister and brother-in-law, who have both since passed, were married. Brenda sang at that special occasion. It was 5 days later that Brenda started at the clinic. 

On May 30th, another sister and brother-in-law will be celebrating 44 years of marriage. Brenda also sang at that wedding. She also had started her first full-time job at the Eye Clinic of ND that year. 

This Saturday, May 31st, will be 14 years since her mother passed. It's hard to believe that so many years have gone by and so much has happened, but Brenda has managed to thrive throughout it all. Has it been easy? Certainly not! 

Next Friday, June 6th, she faces another anniversary of her beloved sister's passing of 22 years, so you see it can be a bit overwhelming. 

Brenda has been doing a lot more writing lately in her journal. She will soon be starting her 17th one, which is something she has been doing since 6 months after her brain surgery. Her 17th Craniversary is September 8th, so that is pretty impressive. 

Life doesn't always turn out like we think it should and that is okay. It's important that we take stock and look at the big picture. Brenda has managed to thrive even through all the sadness and changes that have taken place. Writing is a healing balm for her, as she has shared many times here. 

This is one of the ways she can be real and reach out. It's not for sympathy. She doesn't want or need it. We are going to share something at the end of this planted blog post, that Brenda found and hope it makes you think in perhaps a different way. We all go through our struggles, but yet we can choose to thrive and continue to grow and change, to become better versions of ourselves. 

We hope you have enjoyed this special planted blog post on thriving. 

Until next time, keep blooming and thriving! 

Love and golden hugs,

💛Trevor💛

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