Monday, May 20, 2013

Yesterday I was watching the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. It's always impressive to see the passion, commitment and patience of the gardeners competing, and to see what they produce, and the thinking behind their designs.

But it was the interview with gardener Chris Beardshaw that knocked me sideways. He had been diagnosed with Arthritis as a teenager. He had designed a garden to reflect the several aspects of going through diagnosis, and how it impacts upon your life, and life choices, and I drew parallels with him as he talked.

The first garden was the Veiled Garden. And he talks of the boundaries he faced, and optimism disappearing and not being able to fully engage.

The next garden was the Lucid Garden. This was about realising you are not alone. There's light, consistency and the veil and fog lifting, and new optimism.

The last garden, The Radiant Garden is about bringing joy and a new, positive new lease of life back into the everyday.

He has gone through all those gardens on his journey with Arthritis. And there are similarities for anyone with any long term, debilitating illness to be drawn from listening to him speak. I flick back and forth between the Veiled and Lucid Gardens. But now, I have hope, that one day I may find myself in the Radiant Garden. Until then, I plan to get outside and weed and grow and enjoy. And I hope that this gets reflected in my days. I've already cleared the weeds from my life......good start! And now to nurture and enjoy, with optimism.

There's no time like the present, so I best get cracking.


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