10/07/2026
I thought I'd share a little about me today.
Do you ever wonder why I don't work a 40-60 hour a week office job?
I did that at one point. And then I got rheumatoid arthritis.
RA kinda sucks the life out of me. It's inconsistent, nagging, and always there. It dictates all my decisions, whether I want to admit that or not.
Sometimes I can go weeks without it being a huge thorn in my side. Then it's like having an aching knee, or maybe a bad back. It's there, but you can take Tylenol. You think about it all day, but you push past it.
Other times, it completely rules my life. It requires me to sleep 12 hours, and then I wake up wanting to sleep again. My body is on fire. I can't bend my hands. I can't walk. So I sit, and I doze off. Eventually I'll wake and my meds will have kicked in, and my body's hormones will have started working, and usually by early afternoon I feel well enough to start being productive for a few hours (until evening aches kick in).
That's what I'm doing today. I am sitting.
I've spent many, many hours of my adult life sitting in this one chair, looking out this one window. I have this view etched in my mind.
It's a lovely view.
I get impatient waiting to feel better.
I am an incredibly motivated person. There are so many things I want to do with my life. But my body laughs and scoffs. When it's hard to get dressed, well...it's damn frustrating.
So there's my flowers.
Why does somebody with RA grow flowers?
Make it make sense.
It forces me to be active. Being active is actually really good for a person with RA. Plus, flowers wait for me (to a degree).
The weeds don't wait for me. Some seasons are weedier than others. This season is very weedy. But I've learned to look past the weeds and see the flowers. They are still there. My QuickBooks shows that there are flowers growing in those weeds.
Also, I love to nurture. Ever grow a flower from a seed? It's nothing short of a miracle!
Finally, the connection I make with you all, my customers, is everything. I love seeing you light up with joy over your flowers. I love getting to know you!
If I had a normal job, I'd be fired by the end of week one for being slow, for missing the second day, and for taking too many breaks.
So, if you've ever wondered why I don't have a normal job, this explains it.
Honestly, if I didn't have RA, I doubt if I would still be a teacher in this current culture. I'd be a flower farmer on a much bigger scale.
Here's my current view this early afternoon, as I wait for my meds to kick in--
Don't let anything stop you from being what you want...even if you have to do it on your own terms.