The Damn Watering Can
Updated: Jan 17, 2024
Written by: Carole Sanek, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
I went outside to tidy up the yard today, and there was the damn watering can lying on its side covered in the red South Carolina dirt, housing a bug or two, right where I put it when I moved into my house. It laid there all winter, out of sight, looking as if it had been discarded.
The damn watering can is brown plastic and has a crack near the top where the sprinkles of water gently quench the thirsty plants—a piece of broken plastic junk.
The damn watering can is ugly, and yet it is beautiful.
You might be wondering why I kept it, considering it has a crack in it, and it is ugly.
Well, I kept it, and I brought it with me because this can hold more than water. It holds the memory of being the last thing my husband, Larry, touched before he collapsed and became unconscious in my arms.
As I looked at it, I thought it might be time to put it into the recycle bin, and I picked it up, took it to the garage, and put it in the recycle bin. I closed the lid and kept working in the yard, moving garden art around, rearranging pots to fill with new flowers, and cleaning up now that spring has finally graced us with warm weather.
I knew the rain was coming. I could feel it in the air. I gathered up my tools and started to take them to the garage before the downpour began. I grabbed my umbrella, and it was at that moment that I just knew. The raindrops were splashing at my feet, and my tears started to mix with the raindrops. I ran to take the damn watering can out of the bin. I grabbed it and hugged it to me as the memory of Larry walking onto the patio flashed through my mind’s eye, and I could see him setting it down on a table and taking several steps towards me as he tried to speak. Then he was gone.
The damn watering can holds his energy, and it is the last thing he touched while he was still vibrantly alive.
The damn watering can.
Carole Sanek, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Carole L. Sanek is a certified life coach specializing in personal coaching, with her specialty being working in grief. Carole is also an author, and her first book, “Fractured – Living with Grief,” launched 1/19/2021 and is available on amazon.com. Carole is especially excited that even though she was diagnosed 27 years ago with breast cancer, she wiped that slate clean and thrived on in her life. Reaching Carole is easy as she believes in transparency and authenticity and welcomes people to reach out to her.
