Spotlight on Norma Lindner: My Meditative Garden

Norma Lindner was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2012. To cope with the stress and get through the difficult times, she started a meditative garden. According to Norma, this activity was an important step towards prioritizing self-care. She suggests planting flowers and gardening is the perfect activity for myeloma patients as it combines physical exercise and the opportunity to be outdoors in nature.  “I have often said working and sitting in my garden calms my soul and at the same time energizes me. The ponds and wildlife are my saving grace,” adds Norma. As the Full Bloom Campaign is in full throttle, we asked Norma to share with our participants some of the benefits gardening has brought her. Make gardening your self-care project and enjoy Mother Nature and everything she has to offer. 🌺 If you would like to take part in this campaign and start your own #MyMyelomaGarden, click HERE.

Norma’s Backyard Oasis The Value of Self-Care for Myeloma Patients

I have often said working and sitting in my garden calms my soul and at the same time energizes me. The ponds and wildlife are my saving grace.   Myeloma patients and their caregivers need to prioritize and place self-care at the top of their to do list. Being burdened with worries about treatments, side-effects, finances etc., is very stressful. How can we cope? The thought of being calm seems impossible! The myeloma medical team’s goal, speaking generally, is to keep the disease under control. It is comforting to know that they are here for us. Their care treats our physical wellbeing, but not our anxieties and fears about living with myeloma. This poses a huge challenge, especially for those who have newly been diagnosed. How can we restore a sense of balance and bring joy back into our life? One approach is through the practice of self-care.

What is self-care? “Self-care is care provided for you, by you. It’s about identifying your own needs and taking steps to meet them. It is taking the time to do some activities that nurture you. Self-care is about taking proper care of yourself and treating yourself as kindly as you treat others.”   Fort Garry Women’s Resource Centre   Examples of self-care activities include: practice breathing exercises, take a nap, listen to music, try a yoga class, journaling, sit outside and listen to the birds, go for a bike ride or walk, gardening, etc.

Our backyard garden became an expression of what I love to do.

In 2005, my husband and I bought a townhouse in the suburbs of Burlington. Our property gave us the room to build a garden. After lots of digging, we found ourselves looking at a large hole in the middle of the lawn. What do we do now? Turn the hole into a pond; not so simple, but it was worth the challenge. Over the years, one pond became two ponds, a waterfall was built, stones were hauled in to build a wall around the pond, miniature Japanese maples were planted, goldfish and water plants were added.

It didn’t take long before a parade of wildlife migrated to the backyard: frogs, raccoons, possums, ducks, chipmunks, squirrels, rabbits, cats, herons, dragonflies, butterflies and a variety of birds. The ponds became their source to drink, hunt, swim and sunbathe and it became our source of entertainment and surprises.

Another advantage of the backyard is the space it provides to exhibit art work, my passion. The wooden fence became a perfect place to hang colorful ceramic plates. The gardens each year are adorned with paintings, ceramics, and unique objets d’art . I go on weekly excursions, searching for original paintings and garden treasures at local secondhand stores. Each piece has a place and inspires discussions with visitors.

In the spring of 2012, as I was doing pond maintenance in preparation for the summer season, I felt very sluggish. My ribs were in severe pain and my stamina was weak. I actually felt sick. I had no idea my body was battling myeloma cancer. After I was diagnosed on July 4, 2012, I needed time to process all of the implications and challenges I would have to face. Understandably, solutions didn’t materialize overnight. But looking back on it now, I realize that maintaining the pond and the garden was my practice of self-care. It combines physical exercise and the opportunity to be outdoors in nature. What became important to me was getting to know the neighbours better, and it seems these days, I want to befriend them all. It has taught me to slow down and not rush, to try and not do too much at once. I have learned that my garden oasis is my self-care project. When I take the time to sit quietly, mother nature presents unique gifts that awaken a healing force within myself. Let me share some of these precious moments:  Sitting in the weather-beaten teak chairs, causes me to sit upright and feel solid in them; good posture goes a long way Seeing the smile of friends and visitors as they listen to the calming sound of the water fall Seeing the excitement on children’s faces when they feed the fish Inhaling the fragrance of the cedar and the linden trees Being observant of the seasonal changes of the trees and florals, a time-lapsed movie Watching Tutti, our cat, drinking out of the pond, taking a posture like she is a lioness in the wild Laughing at the chipmunks stuffing their cheeks full with peanuts (one chipmunk stuffed sixteen peanuts in both cheeks) Eating outside, a great way to stimulate your appetite, food tastes better and you often have four-legged and two-legged guests joining you. Watching the neighbour’s spaniel, Jessie James, eyeing the fish in the pond Counting the new lily flower blooms and the frogs on the lily pads There is so much more to share, you will have to come and visit us in Burlington.

My place of calm was achieved through the creating, maintaining and nurturing a garden that has become a place of serenity and tranquility. I am so thankful.   Now is your time to choose a self-care activity and make it your priority and daily practice. Your work and dedication will open doors for happiness to bloom, alleviate much stress and will strengthen your courage to cope and not give up.   Norma Lindner Support Group Leader, Halton-Peel and Area Myeloma Support Group

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