Wanted to share something that helps

A priest at my church once told me that gardening is often prescribed as a foolproof rescription for grief. We had been talking about it because I started gardening about a year after I got married, when my husband started to not come home at night, not care about the baby--when I realized that the "dream" was definitely falling apart. I don't have a house anymore since the divorce, but I have been gardening at my mom's for the past three years. It's sad: the narc loves flowers and I asked him a hundred times to walk over to see my mom's garden a block away. He never, ever did. Not once. I stopped working on it, in fact, because he didn't care to see it. He devalued my garden, too! I went over yesterday for the first time in a year and saw that all of the beautiful things I'd planted are lush and beautiful--they are still there, just like I am. I'm happy you're enjoying life again!

How wonderful, it's great to see happiness coming back into your lives.....all helps with the healing and anything that that helps people heal is good in my book... I've always loved my garden, even from a young age, but really let it go downhill and had no interest in it at all when I was with the N...but since we have broken up I have slowly got back into it and am growing loads of lovely fresh edible stuff this year, just how I used to before him. I think gardening gives you a sense of achievement when you stand back and look at your work and I find it very therapeutic....I'd heartily recommend it to anyone, I'm very grateful to have a garden....even a little window box can be made to look lovely though and you can stand back and say "I done that". Baby step to healing. Mind you, since the N has gone from my life I have started to take delight again in a lot of things I used to enjoy but lost interest in because as everybody here knows they make you feel so down on your self.....isn't it a lovely feeling when you start to enjoy things again....I wish it for everyone.

...about the gardening and feeling like your old self again...well, both described my own day perfectly. I am so happy to hear that you are on the road to recovery, toward your true, wonderful, compassionate, kind, caring self and away from the sick creature that stole all of that from you for the last few years. I, too, had a good, happy day with no anxiety or depression...the first in over two years. I also got out in my backyard today, planted some vegetables, prepared to plant the others tomorrow, sat on my deck with a glass of wine. I am glad you had the same kind of day. May we both be on the road forward and leave those hateful, mean, self-centered, lying, immature bast*rds in the past!

Yes, I love gardening too and it brings back myself as well. Never enjoyed it as much as I do these days. I think it's an age thing:-)