My name is Darlene O’Neil. I live in a small village in Moravia, New York. I had volunteered and donated my time with the VFW Auxiliary for years. This kept me busy year-round, and I would squeeze time in for everything else. I finally decided I needed to step away and spend more time with family, friends, and my home, but first I needed to focus on me. I’d forgotten how important it was to do that. How do I heal?
Therapy? Meds? Yoga? What would do the trick? The answer finally came to me: my yard.
As each week passed, I would work in my flower beds. Most people my age would cut back on the flower beds and yard work, throw some grass seed down, and just mow. Not me. I added three more flower beds this summer. I realized midsummer how my yard was my therapy. Without realizing the mood I was in, I’d head outside. Weed pulling would be the bad days, and digging and planting would be the good days. No pharmacy can put that in a pill. There were many more days of digging and planting than weed pulling. We got new neighbors into the horseshoe this last spring and they are wonderful. We shared blossoms, plants, seeds, garden tools, gardening tips, and even mulch!
I have a neighbor who would dig up something that he would no longer want. I’d see him walking across the street with a bush, a box of perennials, even houseplants, and with a grin he’d ask, “Do you want these?” He didn’t need a verbal response. I’d grab what he was holding and run for my shovel. Sometimes he’d ask, “Where are you going to plant it? It will spread.” “I’ll find a place,” I’d reply. My house being in the bottom of the horseshoe means I have to keep my yard and home up on three sides. Six homes view my home from their front windows. I will not
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