Each day is a new battle and I am not sure how to explain the overwhelming fatigue that comes with Autoimmune Liver Disease. I saw a recent post in the AIH support group about finding passions to keep your days going and I watched a few sessions of the AIH conference to help focus my energy. Of course, the backyard animals make the day and night filled with lots of excitement.
So let me begin on some distractions to save me as for some reason lately the time between 10 am and 3pm are some of my darkest hours. I could almost go back to bed, but I know that it is best to fight through the fatigue to get to a better place. It might be the medicine, the disease or maybe the rainy Florida weather. With summer vacation, I spend most of my time working on my backyard projects and some pre-planning school ideas. This year in particular since my diagnosis, I am trying to spend time on me-things.
One area that has caught my focus is recycling in all different ways. I love the idea of reusing what we have or what others can help us with. One area that I have been experimenting with is the propagation of plants. I try most every plant that we have in the backyard seeing if I can grow them from another one. I started with the easy ones like herbs – mint, basil, my lavender, and such. It is great. I recycle my yogurt pots that are glass and fill them with water. I then take cuttings and put them on my kitchen window until they start to root. Wait and watch – you might have to add water as it is used or evaporates. (The water cycle) I have tried others but will show you in another post.
Cut a piece of mint 
clean off the bottom of the stem 
Place in water
Cut a top piece of basil – before it flowers – I found this the best for taste 
Clear off the leaves from bottom of stem 
Add to water
I then move it outside to my pots or even into the ground. I love the mint but it spreads quickly if it is not in a pot. One of the benefits of having a hydroponic gardening tower is that I can easily grab cuttings and experiment. I also take the tops of my pineapple and kitchen foods and try them. It is amazing that life finds a way – just like I have to. We all have to regrow where we are planted.
I will be honest that I am not always happy with the pot that I have been planted in. I right now. I want to go back to the pot that I lived in a year ago – a life before the diagnosis. I wish I could be transplanted to my healthy, but I guess that we all can do a move in mindset. We all have challenges – chronic disease stinks as it stays with me forever. I keep trying to find ways to recycle myself and I think the best way is to find some purpose to being here. I want to be best wife, mom, teacher, sister, daughter, and friend that I can be. When I walk in the woods at night, I have to look for the stars. Disease is what it is but there are some bright points. I am aware of what each day means – I appreciate life. The growth of mint in my yogurt pot shows me that we all have a chance. We just have to believe and trust.
I love this idea of recycling in all walks of our life. My daughter and I are getting into thrifting with clothes and possible furniture. I think it is great to give life another chance whether us or the world around us. Don’t give up and look outside to find more inspiration to keep recycling yourself. Look for more recycling ideas as I post more to keep me going.
Bitsy's Backyard 