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While I have what may be a small window of attention on this platform, I want to talk about women who want to lift themselves out of a financial and emotional hole. TW: suicidal ideation, self harm.
I experienced work place bullying five years ago. At the time I was married, financially comfortable and trying to recover from a bruising encounter. I’ve also been challenged by mental health issues for decades.
Due to a number of factors I had to end my marriage. So I was unemployed and quickly broke. I became physically ill and needed two operations. Going back to Uber driving three weeks after a hysterectomy is not fun.
At times I had to feed the kids by relying on charity food parcels and the kindness of friends. I cleaned houses, worked for a food truck company and sold everything I had that I didn’t absolutely need.
Finally I thought that as the rest of the world didn’t seem to care what I did I decided to do what I loved. With a nearly dead station wagon (had to sell my nice car to pay bills), my own garden tools and a Facebook business page I started weeding people’s gardens.
Despite subsequent suicidal thoughts and self harm I kept going and going. Plunging my hands in dirt, feeling the breeze on my cheeks and talking to magpies healed me.
As time went by I found myself healing others. Their stories were my story. Clients talked about their own challenges and feeling overwhelmed by a neglected garden. I listened without judgment, made it okay not to be okay.
My message to women in their 50s and beyond who find themselves lost in a life they hadn’t planned: keep fighting. Greatness can come from small things. Your story is precious. You are certainly not alone. YOU MATTER. You deserve to be more than an afterthought in a budget.
