Tending Me--Guest Post by It's a Vol!

Happy Thursday everyone!  Today I am fortunate to have fellow Vols fan Miss Sarah guest posting.  Sarah and I have just recently found each other, and I'm so glad we did!  I love reading about her family and of course of her adorable daughter Evie.  She has a great sense of humor and also a serious side that addresses her journey through post partum depression.  She someone I know you will easily relate to! 

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Hi there everyone! My name is Sarah and I blog over at It's a Vol! I write about my handsome hunky husband Chris and our beautiful daughter Evie. We are also parents to our six (!!!) furbabies; we have four dogs and two cats. Between the nine of us there is always something exciting happening! I am also a post partum depression and anxiety survivor. Along with blogging about my family I use my blog as a voice for myself and other women who are suffering from or have survived this disease.

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A big thank you to Natalie for letting me take over her blog for the day! I hope she and her family are having a fabulous vacation!

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Tending Me

A few weeks ago my boss gave everyone on our team a little extra money with the rules that 1) we must spend it on a treat for ourselves 2) we must spend it within that week 3) we could have some extra PTO if we needed it to accomplish our task. I spent mine on a garden and a perfect spring afternoon in the middle of the week. Armed with $75 in cash I headed to Walmart and bought some herbs, tomatoes and cucumbers, potting soil, top soil and fertilizer.

I gave myself permission to leave my daughter at day care, even though I was technically off work, and do something for myself. I dug and turned and planted. Somewhere in the background Travis Tritt crooned about a great day to be alive. I forewent gloves in favor of getting my hands dirty, and relished sipping sweet tea while my nose turned pink in the sun.

When it was all said and done I had nine tomato plants, a few cucumber plants, mint, sweet basil, cilantro, oregano and rosemary all happily ensconced in their new homes.

Later, after I picked up Evie from day care, I enjoyed an ice cold corona on the deck while Evie happily played in the leftover dirt.

Several people have noted that I spent my frivolous money on something that is not technically only for me, and that instead of treating myself I added one more thing to my long list of things I must tend to. It's true, I suppose. I tend to a lot of things, an impossibly bright and curious toddler girl, her handsome daddy, our menagerie of animals and a home. For the most part I enjoy tending to others. I like to make dinner for my husband every most nights, watching after my daughter, playing with my dogs and generally creating a happy home. I enjoy mothering people and things. This garden though, is how I tend to me. There is a quiet satisfaction in spending fifteen minutes four or five times a week, watering, weeding and observing growth. It is where I get my hands messy while I clear my head, where I plan bigger future gardens and imagine teaching my daughter to plant, nurture, grow, cook and put by the fruits of her labor. It is where I look forward to teaching her that sometimes, tending to something you love is really tending to yourself.

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Thanks for having me here today y'all! Stop on by, say hello and remember GO VOLS! ~SARAH~ Tweet

Thanks Sarah for filling in!  I also find a peace in gardening as well.  Something about it is soothing...now let's hope the plants are still alive when I get back.  Head on over to Sarah's to enjoy more!