I have some family members who are either perpetually sick or dealing with some mystery illness that the doctors can't pinpoint. This isn't a rare occurrence, I know, but I think I have a unique approach to dealing with them.
Whenever I hear about another round of sniffles or the umpteenth night in a row of no sleep, I suggest a compelling solution: their caretaker must build them their own Secret Garden.
For those who haven't read the children's classic, The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett explores the lives and health of two British children; they uncover an abandoned garden that inspires them to become friends and let the fresh air heal their emotional and physical ailments. I read this book as a child, and though I didn't care for it at the time, the main themes of it have stuck with me.
I usually offer my solution as a joke, but I wish that there really were somewhere that my friends and family could go that would magically cure their woes. I love the figurative idea of sitting in a beautiful place outdoors to change your heart for the better, in addition to assuaging your physical pains.
Today, I wish that we had a secret garden for Lucy. She is burning up with a fever and is a veritable 30-pound puddle of sorrow. If I could guarantee no sunburns, I would sit with her outside all day to soak up that fresh air.
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