Coreopsis Gone Wild #hashtags_gone_wild

If you read my blog, you will know this weekend was

a "reality check" kind of moment for Kyle and I.

Monday, after the "big ugly cry", I went outside and

dug in my backyard.  #biguglycry

I am making a Peace Garden a little at a time.

I'm not even sure what a 'Peace Garden' is, but

I'm making one.  #peacegarden

At the moment, it's not very peaceful, and it's

not much of a garden...but it's coming along a day 

at a time.

I am shamelessly roughly copying my friend Amy, because 

her garden is so lovely.  It feels so peaceful.

Right now, I like ANYTHING that feels peaceful.

They say imitation is the highest

form of flattery right?  

Now if only I could copy her  tall thin willowy figure 

and long flowing hair.  I guess

there's only so much a gal can do, right? 

I have some old bricks I'm laying to make some a pathway

into the garden...so I dug out a hole for each brick

and laid them in the ground.

(I'm pretty sure this is how a real brick layer 

does it, right?) ;)

I hated how they looked (spacing) and so I RE dug them

out and laid them down again.  (Which is so odd for me,

I am hardly an anal person about things).

I liked the 2nd results better.  Phew.

It felt good to dig through my feelings.

In the evening, I moved out to the front yard.

You've heard of Girls Gone Wild right?

Well, we're having a problem with coreopsis.

  

I have been planning on tackling the overgrown curbside

bed all summer and have been too lazy.  Or too busy.

Or too overwhelmed.  Or a combination of all of the above.

Some days even simple tasks feel overwhelming right now.

With so much going on.

It's hard to explain...but I feel like so much of my

energy is focused on all of "this", that I feel

simply overwhelmed at doing "that" some days.

But THAT DAY, I was ready to rumble.

I started attacking the bed with a shovel and digging out

at least a million overgrown coreopsis plants.

We have beds full of Utah clay, 1000 pound, heavy ugly

soil.  My biceps were getting a full workout on Monday.

Apparently these flowers had taken to heart the counsel 

given to Adam and Eve (of the Bible, book of Genesis, 

Adam and Eve) to "multiply and replenish the earth."  

They had been busy multiplying all summer long to the 

point of ridiculousness in that front flower bed.

They had NO problem moving their way through all that clay.

My rhythm was pretty much stab, dig, shovel, pull, shake,

throw away, smooth the dirt and begin again.

On repeat.  Like a bad country song, over and over.

("I lost my girlfriend to my x-wife's cousins sister

at the country fair, or rodeo stable, or monster truck

rally....la la lala")

Pretty soon our garbage can was full to overflowing...

...and as luck would have it, it tipped over.

Spilling a good deal of the contents on the road.

I muttered under my breath, sweat pouring down my face,

and stabbed the shovel in our horrible, heavy, clay like

soil to go pick everything up.

At just that moment, our sweet Neighbor walked over.

Without a word, he lifted the can, filled it with flowers

and walked back to his house where he retrieved HIS garbage

can and came back over.

"Here", he said, "Looks like yours is getting full.  You

can fill mine up too if you need it."

He then looked at me, "Rough day?" he asked.

"Yup," I replied, doing my best to fight back a tear

or two that was fighting its way to the surface of my

voice, and tear ducts.  *(&#( @!(#@@ tears!  #tears

I am pretty sure I could get paid BIG money to be

a professional crier these days.

Is there any money in that?  Seriously is there?

"Should I go over and get my shovel and come help you

or would you prefer to do this alone?" He asked.

Alone please, was my answer.  Deep sigh.  Expel air.

I thanked him for his help, his offer, and for letting me

do it my way.

He walked back home and did his own thing.

#thanksJohnMarsh

I returned to doing my thing.

I then filled up his garbage can too.

There were a lot of flowers.

Later in bed that night I said to Kyle, 

"Boy oh boy does Neighbor have a good good heart. 

He came over, and just helped. 

He didn't ask if I needed help. 

He saw a need and simply met my need.

  

Simply met my need.

Pick up can.  Replace spilled flowers.

He then took it one step further (farther?)and 

ASKED if I *wanted* his help or if this was something 

I needed to do alone. 

He didn't say anything amazing.  He didn't try to "fix"

me.  He didn't do anything other than simply BE THERE.

AND HELP.  And offer further assistance.

What he did was this...

He acknowledged a need.  My need.  He saw me struggling 

and he didn't wait for me to ask for help.  

He just stepped in.  He didn't wait to be asked,

but simply did it out of the goodness of his heart.

He made sure I was okay before retreating and then 

let me work through what I needed to work through.

I was so touched by SUCH a simple gesture.

As I have been countless times on this journey.'

Simple acts of kindness.

Standing there is almost 100 degree temperatures,

facing the sun, drenched in sweat and mud and (almost tears).

A kind soul reached in and gave me a little boost.

Kyle says it's because Neighbor has 1 wife 

and 4 daughters.

Which is infinitely easier than 4 wives and 

1 daughter, right?

He says the man just "gets women!"

With 5 women, you had BETTER 'get women' 

or you could be in some serious trouble.

Have you seen the show "Sister Wives"?  

Seriously who would WANT more than one wife? 

Of course, no offense to any of my polygamist

readers (if I have any) I just don't know how you do it! 

#sisterwives 

I say its because Neighbor just has a good heart

growing inside of his body.  A good heart is 

a good thing to have growing inside of your body.

As Martha Stewart would say.  #goodthing

It's better than cancer.  

Although MY man has one of THEE best hearts 

growing inside of HIS body, right alongside his

cancer. #damncancer #goodheart

Now I'm still not sure what to do with all those daisies. 

That's what I've got for today.  #theend