First of the Winning Essays: Don't be the Crazy Cat Lady! by Holley of Roses & Other Gardening Joys

© Roses And Other Gardening Joys, 2012 Used with kind permission of Holley Garden

Last November, I decided to sponsor an essay contest. The best of the entries submitted had a chance to win one of my handcrafted bracelets. To judge the submissions and select the winners, I was lucky enough to have the assistance of some very talented writers and artists. 

Today, I am delighted to share the first of those winning entries with you.

For many of you, Holley of  Roses and Other Gardening Joys needs no further introduction. Though her gardening blog has only recently celebrated its 2nd anniversary, it already has sizeable following of loyal readers. And is it any wonder! Her writing is polished and always entertaining. I once inquired in my comment as to wether she was a professional writer in real life.

To accompany with her winning essay are Holley's own pictures of her rose garden. It has been my pleasure of texturize them and turn them into little artworks. 

I know your going to enjoy reading Holley's winning essay titled: 

Don't be the Crazy Cat Lady

© Roses And Other Gardening Joys, 2012 Used with kind permission of Holley Garden

Are you looking to make some New Year's resolutions?  Are you thinking about improving your life?  Want to change some things about yourself?

I have a theory.  People that make New Year's resolutions need a passion in their life.  They need something that fills their time and their mind - completely.  I know gardening is a passion that fills up all my time and thoughts.  I don't want to improve my life - I want to improve my garden!  I don't want to change myself, I just want to change one of my garden beds.   Of course, there are other passions, but I think gardening is the best one.

Let's just take another passion as an example to compare.

© Roses And Other Gardening Joys, 2012 Used with kind permission of Holley Garden

Did you know that there really is a crazy cat lady?  She lives in California and has over 700 cats!  Yes, that seven is supposed to have that many zeros on the end of it.  Seven hundred!  Over seven hundred!  She is known far and wide as "the crazy cat lady".

Now, I bet the crazy cat lady never says, "Gee, it's the new year.  I think I'll watch less television this year."

No.  I bet with 700 cats she never gets to watch t.v.  If she does, I bet there are cats on top of it.

I bet she doesn't have to make a resolution to cut down on sodas, either.  With her cats costing her approximately $42,000 per month, she probably doesn't spend a lot of extra cash on sodas.

At least, that would be my guess.

I know how much she spends on her cats each month because I watched a television show on the crazy cat lady.  There's something fun in saying "crazy cat lady".  Say it.  Didn't it make you smile?

© Roses And Other Gardening Joys, 2012 Used with kind permission of Holley Garden

Now, take gardening.  I would venture to guess that most gardeners don't think about watching less television, either.  That's because gardeners, like the crazy cat lady, have a passion.  They already spend all their time, and their extra money, on their gardens, not on watching television or drinking sodas.

And people respond better to someone stating they're a gardener vs. a crazy cat lady.  

Think about it.  When a gardener tells someone they have 100 roses (like I do), the other person usually responds with "Oh, I grow a couple of roses, too!"  But when the crazy cat lady tells people she has 700 cats, they look at her like she's a crazy cat lady.  I bet no one has ever responded with "Oh, I have a couple of cats, too."

© Roses and Other Gardening Joys, 2012. Used with kind permission of Holley Garden

And when a gardener tells someone that they have 100 roses, the first thought in the other person's mind is usually one of beauty.  But when the crazy cat lady tells people she has 700 cats, the first thought in the other person's mind is probably about poop.  You, too, are probably wondering what she does with the poop of 700 cats every day.  Admit it.  It's o.k.  I wondered about it, too.  The show didn't really go into it.  I guess they just wanted to sweep the subject under the rug, so to speak.

Gardeners can spend most days in their gardens and people will just act surprised that they are so tan.  The crazy cat lady just gets asked why she does it.  Gardeners can talk about needing to acquire just one more Souvenir de la Malmaison, and people will just nod as if they agree you need it.  No one nods when the crazy cat lady says she needs another cat!

I'm not putting down the crazy cat lady.  She is doing a great service to those cats that she has rescued.  And most of all, she has a passion.

© Roses and Other Gardening Joys, 2012. Used with kind permission of Holley Garden

Everyone needs a passion.  When you have a passion in your life, you won't be worrying about making New Year's resolutions.  You will find that your resolutions will all revolve around your passion.

© Roses and Other Gardening Joys, 2012. Used with kind permission of Holley Garden.

So, if you're looking to make a New Year's resolution, why not find a passion instead?  The way I see, you can become a crazy cat lady, or you can take up gardening.

Personally, I'd choose the gardening.

More Information and Links:

To visit Holley's blog, please click the link: Roses and Other Gardening Joys. 
In one of my favourite posts, Holley compared a rose to the grace of a woman on a dance floor. Also, be sure to check back on Holley's blog for her gardening book review meme held on the 20th of each month. See December's reviews here.