I have grown to detest birthdays.  Really, any milestone that marks the passage of time – holidays, birthdays, etc.  See, I’d been living under the misconception that time is standing still, until my life gets back on track (baby wise).

So you can imagine how my husband might feel asking me what I want for my birthday.  Having learned my lesson about being stuck, however, I had to make an effort, right?  Incorporating another lesson – I found that small projects help to get me through the day.

And so it was, that for my 28^th birthday, my husband took me shopping for a little terrace garden.  We got planters and soil and herbs and dwarf fruit trees for our balcony (don’t need to have a back yard for an herb/fruit garden!)  I loved my new garden!  I spent afternoons planting and arranging and watering my plants.  Cultivating life.  Later, I harvested my crop, seasoned my cooking and made jam.  It was the project that kept on giving.

Even sitting out on the balcony was a pleasant, calming experience – which were hard to come by at the time.

Several months after we finally had our first baby, my husband looked out onto our sanctuary, and noticed a telltale lack of green things… Yeah, I had different life to tend to now.  And I love devoting my time to her!