Have you ever found the perfect gift for someone and been so excited you couldn’t wait to give it to them?
That’s what happened to me a few months ago. I went looking for my friend’s favourite flower, a gerbera daisy. A cut one wouldn’t do, it had to be potted. I was trying to decide between the yellow or pink one when something at the end of the aisle caught my attention. This one had three big flowers and was red, her favourite colour.
My friend was going through a rough patch and I knew the plant would cheer her. What I hadn’t considered was the joy it brought me to give the gift.
A couple of weeks later she texted me a picture of the plant with the caption, your gift keeps on giving. The original flowers were still beautiful and a new bloom had emerged that morning.
A few days ago, I received another picture of the plant. It had only one fading flower and didn’t look nearly as lovely. She told me the gerbera was looking a little worse for wear but just doesn’t give up. Three more blossoms were coming.
Her next words were what inspired this post. She said, “She (the plant) reminds me of me. A little worse for wear but keeps on going.”
I think a lot of us feel a little worse for wear right now. My friend maintains a bubbly personality and infectious laugh that draws people to her. She is an example to maintain and positive attitude and not give up hope.
And, like the gift of this plant, it’s possible some little thing you do for another may come back and bless you. Your time to bloom again is coming.
Tag: positive attitude
Getting on My Nerves
I recently discovered what it feels like to have something getting on my nerves. Now that I have experienced nerve pain I won’t take that statement lightly again.
My pain was caused by the shingles virus. It started with a rash on one leg that wasn’t as much painful as prickly.
The diagnosis was an unpleasant surprise. I’d heard some nasty things about this virus and didn’t want them confirmed. After a brief pity party, I made the decision to remain positive.
A few hours later a co-worker contacted me to say she’d be willing to work the next few days for me if I wanted time off. My initial response was to tell her thanks anyway, but no thanks. After all, I was fine! When I realized accepting her offer wasn’t a sign of weakness but an opportunity to take care of myself, I accepted.
By the end of the day, I couldn’t tolerate clothing touching my leg. Shingles is usually concentrated on a single nerve band. In my case, three nerve bands were involved. What a time to be an overachiever!
My concentration and focus weren’t ideal but I didn’t want to miss my self-imposed writing deadlines. Within twenty-four hours of my diagnosis, I’d completed my monthly newsletter and a regular blog post. After they were published I discovered both had spelling errors in them. Normally I’d beat myself up about this. Instead, I cut myself some slack. I knew I’d done the best I could under the circumstances and that was good enough.
I can’t change the past any easier than I can eliminate this virus. All I can do is change how I react. Since I am responsible for my own experience, there’s no need to let things get on my nerves.