I think I want to make gardening my new hobby

These sort of words will make my kids laugh and they will make remarks like, ‘Man…did you hear what your mom just said?’ Or the young one will say, ‘Sure….you will murder the plant real soon’

 

I love myself. I don’t know what I am going to do next. That gives myself the element of surprise. Or maybe I am nutz. Anyway, it started with one little plant I bought from Pacific. Yes, that supermarket in old Komtar. Then, I bought another potted plant from a nursery while I was waiting for my hubby.

I went to Cameron and got a bit more adventurous. I bought a cactus that looks like lotus. The above aren’t my plants but I have similar one on my desk.

Looking at how cheap a pot of gerbera is, I also buy one. But it is rather sad looking now because the poor plant is lonely at my driveway.

Actually, this wasn’t my main intention of writing a blog post. I started out wanting to rant about dying folks. But as I said earlier, I am not sure what I will think of next so I ended up with a whole album of the photos I took in Cameron during the weekend.

You see. I went to Adventist Hospital this afternoon because my kid likes their Adventist cookies. It is supposed to be some healthy cookies with lots of fibres and low sugar. So, I gladly drove there during lunch time to have their rice as well.

Adventist is where I had all my four older boys including Vincent. So, that place is sort of like home. The good times, the bad times, all embedded within those wards.

When I was at the Adventist Bakery, there was this woman who was practically grabbing everything from drinks to rice to cereals to bread to just everything. Then, she asked the cashier ‘can eat this, can eat that’. I have seen a lot of these people.

Loved ones who is just diagnosed with cancer, heart problems, hypertension, diabetes and a host of other illnesses. They just have to cushion the shock with going the extreme of changing lifestyle.

Then, when I was at the cafetaria with my son eating fake chicken that grows on trees with brown rice, a man wheeled his elderly mom to our table. She looks awfully depressed. He tried asking her what she wants so that he could get the rice. She just look depressed. He came back with rice and baked beans with tomato sauce on the rice. And he asked her if she can eat them.

Later on, at the pharmacy, I see even more depressed folks.

Well, what I want to say is this – We are all going to die sooner or later. We may or may not fall sick sooner or later. Our loved ones are going to die sooner or later. They may or may not fall sick, suffer, in pain, in agony sooner or later.

So, what can we do about it? We can’t. But we can keep ourselves positive and make sure we don’t treat our sick loved ones like they are already dead. That’s the whole problem with some of us.

There are people of faith who take it in their stride. There are people who grabbed whatever illness they have and make the best of it.

I am insensitive, I know. But really, we are bound to be in that situation and unless and until we start to live normally, within the limitations we have, we are just going to throw it all away.

I have seen how my mother-in-law fell into depression after my father-in-law’s death. I was newly married and although hubby talked about how fantastic the woman was, she was altogether a monster-in-law to me. Too bad that I was too young, too occupied with my new life as a new mother to notice or know what to do about that.

She wasn’t chatty like my mom. She wasn’t ever cheerful. When I took her and my mom for holiday, my mom whispered to me how that woman would totally ignored her even when they were in the same hotel room.

I didn’t know what depression was. My mom too was a widow and that she was only in her late fourties. So, I thought, hey, my mom also die husband, you also die husband. But how come she could carry on with us, all so young and dependent. But you already having grandkids and so many dotting sons and daughters, why act so kesian and sad one.

Eventually, hypertension took over and she got a stroke and was in coma. By then, I was a lot more tolerant and accepting. Anyway, I was a good daughter-in-law or my mil wouldn’t have bought me batik nightdress or even gold bracelet and gave me the only diamond ring she had.

So, my point is? Come on lah, take life more positive. Whatever illness you have, try to understand it, how to help your loved ones or yourselves. Think positive, fight a good fight and most important of all, believe in something. I am not preaching but faith helps. I have seen and been with terminal patients and positive attitude helps. They will die too but at least die happy and cheerful.

And stop worrying unnecessary and don’t be like the woman who suddenly want to stuff her loved one with the so-called diabetic diet or the man who thought his mom cannot eat anything but baked beans. Cos if you treat a sick person as a sick person, they get sicker. If you try to give them a normal life, they will try to get around to it.

Hmmmmm….what was my title again? Oh gardening…Right…