Canned Dreams
“Changing Your Attitude, Changes Your Life.” -Nick Vujicic
This summer I wanted to do something I had missed. So I planned for it and took all of the seemingly right steps.
At the beginning of June everything changed. I had the 2nd of two wrecks of two years.
On that day my goal seemed so far away and my mind wanted to go crazy telling me reasons I couldn’t do what I had planned.
It’s amazing how easy it is to think of reasons you can’t in situations like this instead of reasons you can. I would also be lying to say I didn’t cry a few tears through everything.
With help from a friend, I figured out a way to continue with my goal. The garden, I had planned was planted. She put hay between the rows to keep the weeds down.
She would pick produce (at the time going through rehab I had a hard time bending over for extended times), and then I would prepare and can the produce at her house. Sometimes we did it together.
It felt rewarding to eat healthy. It also felt rewarding to can in spite of the physical can’ts.
What can you do today even if you have real can’ts? What can you do to get around them, over them or under them? What do you have that you can work with even if it is small?
I’m grateful that what started out as small seeds, grew to plants. I’m grateful that what started out as goals turned into canned dreams. I’m grateful for this year for the gift of feeling better now. I’m also grateful that I can look back at positives produced even during pain. Finally, I’m grateful this winter that the rows of cans filled with garden produce (see if you can guess a few of the can’s contents represented in the pictures) will outlast the can’ts.
Loved it !!! And it is so very true!!! There are so many can do’s in our life even when our want to do’s are delayed.
Glad you loved it, Jennifer! Thanks for taking time to comment!
This reminds me of the Little Red Train That Could! It all starts in our mind.
This story also reminds me of many food banks who are collecting canned goods at this time of year. Let’s remember to pick up extra canned goods when we’re shopping.
Thanks for your comment, Rita! Definitely good idea to think about those who need can goods the most!
I believe that the chopping and canning process are very therapeutic. Doing things beyond the “I can’ts” is so satisfying
So glad you enjoy canning too, Leah! I agree on the therapeutic aspect as well…
I enjoyed having a garden and canning the corn and beans. A lot of work but fun watching things grow.
That’s awesome, Susan. Glad you were able to do that and had fun watching things grow too.