Problems… there are no shortages. Everyone has them. It’s not unusual for friends and family to come to us with problems that need to be solved. Usually, adults find ways to solve their own problems, they just want someone to listen to them while they talk through them. It makes them feel that we care. Some of us have open arms and lend an ear, others find it rude that anyone would think of dumping their problems onto them. Don’t we have enough of our own? The former may adore her friend, the latter may find her friend “toxic.” Whichever personality type you are; venter, dumper, compassionate listener, irritated unable enabler, the reality remains the same. We all have problems.
What are problems? Webster’s dictionary defines a problem as a perplexing question, situation, or person. It’s an ancient Latin word, problema meaning to “throw forward.” So true. Problems present themselves, over and over again. Over time, we should become pros at solving them and in a sense, we do. But growing older oftentimes means our patience grows thinner, hence a double quandary.
Sometimes problems get so out of hand, spinning our life out of control, that we become frozen and petrified, which only makes things worse. And when multiple persons are involved (as is often the case in family matters) one feels that their once pleasant life may never return. This is the time that we turn to the garden (or nature in the form of a park, the local strip of woods, the backyard or if none of these are available, the local nursery). For it is in nature that we find peace and rejuvenation that give us the best chance of answering the questions that life’s problems present.
Suellen Ocean is the author of many books on diverse topics. Her books are available here: http://www.amazon.com/Suellen-Ocean/e/B001KC7Z78
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