Article 51

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THE CASUAL GARDENER, Shawna Coronado

BE THANKFUL THAT EVERYTHING WORTH HAVING IS HARD WORK!

It occurs to me that I have lived my life by the phrase, “Everything Worth Having Is Hard Work!”

At this time of year we all reflect on what we are thankful for. I’d like to propose that we turn inward and view
our achievement list and be particularly thankful for what it means to each of us. You know the “list” – it’s the
one which itemizes all of the difficult achievements in life which have truly meant something to us. I bet each
and every item on your list was hard work and had unimaginably difficult emotional obstacles blocking the way.
These hurdles seemed like mountains at the time and are now a part of what makes you who you are.

My list is long and personal and is uniquely connected to who I have become. It has to do with things in my life I
thought I’d never overcome. I was raised without my natural mother from the time I was two. My Dad was
remarried when I was six and I was then looked after by a new mom who I came to love. It was not easy, but we
were a family, albeit far from traditional. I only met my natural mother one other time in my life and she was on
her death bed. It was difficult for me, but it was a moment I had to get past. My Dad was an inspiration. To
him, working hard and being honest with one’s self is what can make your heart feel complete and satisfied. In
his mind it was the hallmark to one’s soul. My Dad died at age 46 of Pancreatic Cancer. I was 13 years old and
at the time I thought I would never get over his death. I learned to overcome the negatives by working hard in
school. I grew up quickly and took responsibility for myself and learned the lesson my Dad had always wanted
me to – that everything worth having is hard work. He taught me that adversity shouldn’t breed laziness. I am
VERY thankful he taught me that lesson as it has strengthened me for other traumas which I’ve had in life. I am
a better person because of that lesson.

My garden is akin to my life. There have been accomplishments in my garden which thrilled me and brought
tears of happiness to my eyes. There have been times I have cursed like a sailor (quite literally) at my failures
and frustrations in trying to accomplish my ecological and gardening goals. I’ve learned that my garden is not
perfect and neither are our lives. More importantly, because life is not perfect, we are rarely handed solutions
on a silver platter. We have to use our brains and bend our backs to the problems of life. It is hard work.

In doing medical research to build Shawna’s Healthy Philosophy, I discovered a lot of statistics on the health of
Americans. If you review the Chartbook on Trends in the Health of Americans, created by the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services, you will find that over 67.1% of all adult Americans are overweight, with nearly
half of that number being designated “obese”. This is the highest number ever recorded! Also listed in the
Chartbook is a shocking truth – the largest number of physical office and hospital outpatient visits are for
Americans with ages between 18 and 45. Over 276,862,000 visits per year! Out of these visits over 20% of
men and 40% of women who have an outpatient visit receive antidepressants for depression and stress related
disorders. Yet only 3% of Americans report severe psychological distress. This tells me that people are
searching for a quick cure. The silver platter! The solution which might be the least difficult and the least
amount of work! Americans want to feel better and look better – they are unhappy with their lives – but think a
pill might solve all the issues. Some people have a true chemical imbalance and need medications, but I’m
suggesting that a large percentage do not. Many are over stressed and never spend time on their health or
get outside in nature – they don’t make the time because they think it’s irrelevant, but I say it can help a person
through all those difficulties on our lists. That it is necessary to put some hard work into health. My personal
feeling is we should attack our problems at the source and fix the problem by working hard on our lives, not
attack the bi-product of our stressful lives which are the symptoms.

It is hard work. There is no easy solution to living life.

Suggesting that good emotional and physical health is an “easy” and “quick” prospect is a lie which many
advertisers would like you to believe. It makes them money. The lesson I’ve learned is, again, that nothing is
handed to me on a silver platter. There is no miracle cure for the every day trauma of being a human being.
There is no quick solution for doing work in the garden. It is hard work. That means getting and staying
emotionally and physically healthy is hard work. In my opinion, it is well worth the hard work. I feel better and
look better than I ever have in my life and it is purely because of the lesson my Dad inspired me to believe in:
hard work is good for you.

Similar to many traumas I have suffered in life, about half way through one of my difficult garden projects I often
think to myself that I am going to give up. I become the Drama Queen to beat all Drama Queen’s. I tell myself I
am tired and struggling, I am not strong enough physically to do this, who had this brilliant idea anyway? I give
myself a list of excuses and run them through several times in my head. I try to talk myself out of the project
and say I never wanted it in the first place. I fight it. However, in the end, I resist temptation to give up and I
stick with it because I know there will be a reward. Because this was my decision and I’m not giving up. My Dad
taught me that quitting isn’t an option. Usually I’m by myself, bedraggled, covered in dirt, sweating, sore and
frustrated. But I do it. When I finally finish and turn to see how the project looks in the end, all those negative
feelings I had magically disappear. I suddenly see the terrific result of all that hard work. Be it an arbor or a
pathway or whatever. My heart jumps to my throat. It’s beautiful and I did it! Everyone told me it was a silly
project and I could never finish it on my own. I was stubborn and knew the hard work would be worth it. I stand
staring at the finished project with sweat poring down my forehead, hair sticking out at all angles and a silly grin
on my face. It WAS hard and impossible and against all odds that I would accomplish this project by myself and
I DID IT!!

These feelings of accomplishment are important. They add to my special list of achievements in my life.
Creating, working and building projects in nature certainly produces better self-esteem. So does getting
through other more personal difficulties in life. It makes one reflect on how all the things we experience can be
connected. For example, your health IS connected to your everyday life. Ignoring it and abandoning it will only
add more trauma to you and your family’s existence in the long run. All the personality-building experiences in
our lives make us who we are. Not just garden projects, but emotional trials and tribulations, those difficulties
which seem impossible to overcome. It is a lesson about how everything worth having is hard work.

I am thankful for that lesson, because it has made me who I am today. I have achieved everything I have ever
done through hard work. I don’t own a silver platter and have never been handed anything on one. I’m sure
you haven’t either. My suggestion for you this Thanksgiving is to turn back and look at YOUR LIST the way I
have looked at mine and be thankful. All those impossibly difficult things that happened in your life which
caused you heartache and pain, all those gardens you have tended and nurtured, and all those people who
have made your life special: all that hard work which is the sum total of your life. Look at it and smile. Because
it has all been hard work.

You must look to the positive and to the future. Your hard work is special and important to the people who love
you. It has been, no doubt, tough and against impossible odds that you have accomplished the achievements
in your life. I’m sure you can proudly say “I DID IT!!”

Be Thankful!

Please send your gardening questions for Shawna Coronado, The Casual Gardener to
dearshawna@thecasualgardener.com or The Casual Gardener, P.O. Box 358, Warrenville, IL 60555.
www.thecasualgardener.com

The Casual Gardener.com

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