When I first started seeing a therapist for depression many years ago, he naively suggested I do a few things to brighten my day, one of which was to buy myself a flower.
Yeah.
No.
At the time I was knee-deep in small children with mental illnesses of their own, a traveling husband, a new puppy, and a limited budget; buying myself a flower was pretty low on the list of "things that would brighten my day."
I remember asking him if this suggestion, along with several others he had made, including "taking a nice long bath," was something he learned to say to depressed women patients in "therapy school."
I may have been a somewhat challenging patient.
In one session, several years into our therapist/patient relationship, he mentioned that on his way home the week before he just didn't feel like himself. He was, in fact, a little down. Then he remembered that he had seen me that day and it all made sense!
I'd say we had a great therapist/patient relationship.
Thankfully, depression is now just a part of my past.
I have even discovered that sometimes buying myself flowers can be a cheering experience; though last week when struggling to arrange these gorgeous yellow tulips I may have muttered something under my breath about the @$#*%! flowers.
But right now, today, these flowers do indeed make me smile.
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