I believe in being thankful, regardless of whether or not you’ve received something that may be less than ideal, especially in the garden. After all, it’s the thought that counts, right?
Be Thankful in All Things – There’s Always a Place for it Somewhere
A prime example of how to be thankful in all things was first presented to me in the form of an old, rusty cast-iron skillet. Said skillet was taken from a trash pile during the cleanup of my brother’s newly acquired home. “Here, you can have this,” my brother jokingly replied as he handed the skillet to me. “Um, okay,” I answered back. “Not sure what I’ll do with it, but thanks.”
To get a better understanding of why this odd item was gifted to me in the first place, you need to know where it stems from. I’ve always been attracted to “old stuff” – old houses, old bottles, old books, old clothes, old dishes, etc. And the more unusual, the better.
So, what did I do with that old skillet? I actually cleaned it up, but left the rusty look of it, and painted a rooster on the back. I hung it in my kitchen where it still hangs today some 25 plus years later. Yes, it was simply a piece of trash with no use for cooking anymore, but I found a way to create something useful (and beautiful) from it, even if the idea started from a joke. I continue to upcycle items like this for both my home and garden décor.
I’m thankful for every piece of “trash” anyone has given me. From tossed out toys to tires, I’ve managed to give such items new life, mostly in the garden. I think the one that many of my coworkers have liked the most was my son’s old truck bed liner, which after much nagging to haul it off only fell on deaf ears. I finally got tired of looking at this eyesore and found a new home for it as a garden “bed.” You’d never know by looking at it that this piece of junk once lined the back of a pickup truck.
I try to always cultivate a garden of gratitude by reusing things, many of which have been gifted to me somehow. You can always find a use for old things – somewhere.
