a 12 hour shift

She put her head into her hands and just sat there.

I looked up from my dirty hands, “It's okay – go ahead and cry if you need to. It's good to cry. It's all I have been doing these past few months.”

She looked so tired and worn as she looked up with moist eyes. “I'll be all alone. All alone.”

“Do you mind if I ask if the doctors have given him any kind of time?”

“They said he had 8 to 10 years, and that was 8 years ago.”

“I am so sorry.”

“I haven't had a break in five years – I haven't been able to go anywhere. My day starts at 3:30 am, I work two jobs, seven days a week. Then I come home to run this house and take care of him. I worry about him all day. Sometimes the breathing gets really hard. And then I am over at my parents new house for three hours everyday supervising the construction. I am so - tired.”

Kneeling on the lawn I picked up the plant next to me and loosened it from its container.

“How did you meet your husband?”

A soft smile came across her face. “I was walking down the streets of Provo and he was the sound guy for this rock band...” She laughed. “We dated 5 years before getting married...it was hard at first, but we've been married 23 years now. I love him so much. He treats me so well” Her voice started to shake again. “He calls me doodlebug.”

I smiled.

“Sometimes he'll call just to tell me that I am his best friend.”

I smiled again, “It's good to love and to be loved.”

“There is nothing better than to be able to trust and love someone and to feel it in return.”

I rinsed my hands off with the garden hose and the evening ended with a hug.

“You are so great. Hang in there. I'll call you Monday about the other pots.”

“Have a goodnight.”

“You too.”

**************************************************************************************
**************************************************************************************
I know I have said many times before that I love my job - working out of doors with plants, creating spaces using art and design, continuous study and learning... I have often referred to it as an adventure. But perhaps the most fulfilling part, the real adventure – is the relationship that is built between a me and my client. For that reason alone I love the residential corner and don't miss the commercial too much. I love working with the homeowner! I love being in their homes and learning about their families, their jobs, their kids and dogs names, summer plans and what matters most to them. Whenever I find myself complaining about my job - I really should put myself in a corner for a few minutes. Even if I do have to do my own book keeping.