Help and Hope -- Islands of Comfort and Stability

Star Wars. That is why my friend got a divorce. Not the typical reason for someone to like that movie so much, but it turns out that my friend was having a Bessie Head – Elizabeth period in her life, and Star Wars was the thing that changed her life. In the insanity of abuse Star Wars was an island of comfort and stability; it was the one place that took her away from the nightmare in which she was living. For two hours she forgot the horrors of life. Elizabeth would understand. The garden was Elizabeth’s Star Wars – for a few minutes, she escaped the madness and felt peace and happiness. The contrast exposes the terrible side of life and motivation for taking the necessary steps toward a better life. Everyone needs islands of comfort and stability, for my friend, it was Star Wars, and for Elizabeth, it was found in nature and her garden.

 Elizabeth found comfort and stability in her garden. It was orderly. There was logic and a sequence in the garden. Prepare the soil, plant the seeds, transplant the seedlings, watch the plants grow and sell them to the people in the village. It was the garden that saved her from completely losing her mind and soul: “…when so much of life around her unfolded with beautiful harmony? Why did she keep on stumbling down to the garden when the roar of hell in her ears?” (Head, 159). Elizabeth stumbled down to the garden because it was the only place where she felt safe. No matter how badly her life was she could count on the garden. She knew what to expect, and she was never disappointed. Every day, she went to the garden and the ladies came with their baskets: “They always wanted spinach and cabbage….Here in the garden were crisp, juicy leaves of Swiss Chard, Collards from America and perpetual spinach beet” (Head 157).

The garden was not Elizabeth’s only island. There little bird that sang after filling on the worms. Head describes the bird, saying “A gorged gullet gave a fellow like him time now to reflect on the beauty of his surroundings. Then he suddenly shot up into a high note about the sparking, rain filled air” (Head 145). These moments were like mini vacations, relaxing, like that perfect moment before you are fully awake and do not feel the aches and pains or stress of the past day or the dread of the current day about to begin. They were like islands of peace in a sea of turmoil. The craziness Elizabeth was experiencing was not natural. It is easy to understand, therefore, how the natural world provided Elizabeth with an island of comfort and stability. Year after year natural things follow the same pattern. 

      Everyone needs islands of comfort and stability. These brief encounters without stress of abuse, insanity, and pain make it possible to be strong when the tsunami’s of life hit. Elizabeth was experiencing the nightmare of depression and falling into insanity. She was rescued out of it and the first thing she did was go to her garden. The garden represented new life, new hope and new chances. It brought people to visit with her and appreciate her talents. We all need such islands, whether we find it in a movie theater or a garden.