The Backside of a Sunflower

Sunflowers are my absolute favourite flower, and I have always had a deep connection with the symbolism the flower holds.  When we think of sunflowers, our minds often conjure up images of their vibrant yellow petals, standing tall and proud, basking in the warm sunlight. However, there is more to these magnificent flowers than meets the eye. Hidden behind their cheerful facade lies the rough and strong backside holds a fascinating story of resilience and adaptability. Despite its rough texture, the stem is a testament to the sunflower's ability to withstand harsh weather conditions and stand tall against strong winds. These significant features of this remarkable flower is why I feel it has become the symbol of my 2023 year. Let me explain.

I entered the year on a high. 2022 brought so many amazing things for me. A record year for tornado captures, an active winter chase season, and many personal and professional gains that continued into early 2023. It seemed the blood, sweat and tears I’d put into my passions was finally paying off. It was easy for me to harness that energy and shine it on everyone who crossed my path, as well as give me the strength to keep pushing hard in life.

I’ve always made it my mission to spread light around me everywhere I go. A positive disposition with a friendly smile for anyone who comes around. Life is hard and always feels like the world can use more sunshine, more people cheering you on and allowing you to see what’s amazing about YOU.  It’s that face I step out of the house with every day, very rarely will I ever show the rough-edged stalk behind it.

It wasn’t long into 2023 that the storms started hitting hard, threatening to snap the stem that has held me high and allowed me to shine. Early June just as my happy time of the year, (chase season) was set to ramp up, a routine doctor appointment for my 15-year-old son brought all that to a halt. Blood tests revealed liver levels 4-5 times higher than normal. Following those results were a battery of tests, specialist appointments, and a scramble to keep his liver functioning. Nothing is worse for a parent than facing down the possible mortality of your child and being unable to fix the situation yourself.

Diagnosed with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Hypothyroidism as well as an ADHD diagnosis the summer was spent with specialists, ultrasounds, repeated bloodwork and figuring out the correct diet and medications to get it under control to ensure that his liver wouldn’t completely shut down, as well as ensuring he was in good mental health with everything coming his way. This is what took me mainly out of chasing the 2023 season. Not that it was much for Saskatchewan with only 1 confirmed tornado. With the battery of appointments and focus on getting him better it also made me unable to target set-ups further away as usual. The one set-up I managed to get out for in Alberta I didn’t target the right storm. While my storm was beautiful and severe with its golf ball hail stones, a destructive tornado touched down on another storm near Didsbury which meant I missed my only chance to capture a tornado this season. I felt defeated by my failure, even though logically I knew I shouldn’t.

Storm Chasing is my escape. It allows me to leave the stress of life behind if only for a few hours. Wind in my hair, wide open road and larger than life sky. The lightning illuminating the world in front of me and the thunder reverberating through my body is an atmosphere that heals me. Not having that escape with the slow drought-ridden atmosphere of the western prairies this year was tough and I clung to the few wins I could muster this summer. It helped that many of my friends a peers had amazing wins and cheering them on allowed me to celebrate things around me, which was much needed as I was struggling to find things to celebrate.

Weatherwise the drought continued to plague the prairies well into harvest with grasshoppers polishing off what little crops there were. But for me and my family the fall brought reprieve. We had finally got things under control for my son, his liver and thyroid levels returning to normal. While it’s something he will have to deal with his whole life, now I felt like I could draw in a big breath something I hadn’t done in months. That weight holding me down had lifted and was able to look forward to the upcoming winter season and focus back to building my business once again.  For a little while at least.

Thanksgiving weekend with some time to get some things done around the house and yard I took in the beautiful weather doing some yard work in preparation for winter's start. Getting my gutters cleared of the fall leaf debris was top of my list that day before they froze in from the upcoming forecasted snow. I climbed that ladder like I’d done thousands of times but just as I was about to step on the roof, I felt the world go out from under me as the ladder slipped out catching my leg and dragging me down with it. I fell 8.5 feet, landing back first on the ladder. My small frame buckled under the intense pain that slammed into me at the same time. I thought well at least I’m alive but thought for sure my hip was shattered from the impact. I lay there 40 min awaiting the arrival of the ambulance, my whole body shaking from the shock setting in. 24 hours later I was released from the hospital, suffering from 2 fractured vertebrae, slipped disk and loss of feeling to my lower right leg. I am grateful though I was able to stand on my own two feet and lived to tell the story.

The last few months of 2023 have been focused on healing. Not only physically but mentally. In November I had a lump removed and while still awaiting pathology on it I’m optimistic it's non-cancerous. My back may never be fully healed but working through physio to get it the best it can be. While I still lose feeling to my foot still, there has been much improvement from where I was a few months ago. Winter has yet to really arrive here in Saskatchewan. No snow even heading into the New Year and Fall like temps. Maybe it eventually will see winter shine and I can play with the snowflakes again soon. Even with the uncertainty of where life will take me or what it has in store choose to focus on what amazing things 2024 can bring me. Like a sunflower, my stem's strength enables me to thrive as it provides stability and prevents me from toppling over. While rough along the edges it gives me the resilience and determination to survive, even in the face of adversity. Entwined in the stem are the amazing people I have around me who support me in ways that they will never quite know and allow those beautiful golden petals to spread out and shine.

I normally do not share what's behind the beauty, smile, and positivity I choose to face the world with, but what makes the sunflower and amazing thing is what allows it to bloom for us. The backside of a sunflower may not receive the same attention as its vibrant petals, but it is an integral part of the flower's beauty and strength. Its rough texture and resilience in the face of adversity serve as a powerful metaphor for our own lives. Let us draw inspiration from the sunflower's backside, embracing our own rough edges and finding strength within ourselves. Just like the sunflower, we can stand tall, face the sun, and bloom beautifully, no matter what challenges come our way.