I’ve tended to after a demanding workday. I’ve spent many hours over the years studying different plants, experimenting with different kinds, and weaving a vibrant tapestry of flowers that makes me happy to look at.However, Linda? She has never enjoyed it. “Stacey, my dear,” she would begin in her patronizing manner, “don’t you think your garden looks a little… out of style? You ought to think about something more contemporary. Then she would continue talking about the clean, simple yards she had seen in her upscale home décor publications. I knew my garden was mine, and I didn’t care if it didn’t suit her tastes; I would just smile and nod. < I had no idea that Linda’s criticism of my garden would cause one of the most major problems in our already troubled relationship. I made the decision to help my mom out by staying with her for three weeks after she suffered a nasty fall a few months ago, breaking her leg. Tom was really helpful and even skipped work to spend a few days with me. But he had to leave me at my mom’s house, which was about three hours distant from our house, because he had to go back to the city for work.I gave him strict instructions regarding taking care of the house, especially my cherished garden, before he left. “Don’t forget to water the plants, okay?” I reminded him before he left. “And keep an eye on the new roses I just planted.” “Don’t worry, honey,” he kissed me to reassure me. “It will all work out great. Just concentrate on supporting your mother.If only I had known at the time what was going to occur. After a quick two weeks, I was finally able to return home. I noticed something wasn’t quite right with our front yard as soon as I pulled into our driveway. I wasn’t sure how to describe it at first. But my heart fell as I approached.My exquisite flower gardens, which I had devoted my entire being to, had vanished. An army of the most garish, ugly plastic gnomes I had ever seen stood in their place. They appeared as though they were taken directly out of a shoddy horror film from the 1980s. Gnomes with shovels, fishing poles, and “funny” signs were all there. I found at least twenty of them strewn all over my once lovely flower beds.Tears began to spring up in my eyes as I staggered out of the vehicle. Tom emerged from the house at that moment to welcome me, but his smile vanished the moment he spotted me. He was aware. He was fully aware of what had transpired, and his remorseful look indicated that he had contributed to it. “Tom,” I said, “what the hell happened to my garden?” With a groan, he combed through his hair. “Uh… Mom thought she’d surprise you.” “Surprise me?” I said it again. “She trampled over my garden and piled this trash in it! How come you didn’t stop her? Tom said, “She said she was just trying to help.” “I reasoned that letting her pursue her interests would be simpler. I had no idea that she would actually do this.” I had never felt such anger as I did at that very moment.My pride and joy was my garden, which Linda had completely destroyed. The whole time she pretended to know better. I stormed inside the house, angry and heartbroken, and grabbed my phone. Tom stopped me before I could get on the phone to rage at her for damaging the most beautiful portion of my house. He said, “Maybe it would be better if we spoke to her face-to-face.” “She’s more reasonable that way.” Though I had my doubts, I concurred. Resuming our drive, we made our way to Linda’s residence. Linda greeted us with a smile that made my blood boil when we got there. “Tom, Stacey! What a sweet surprise. How are things going for the two of you? I was unable to control myself any longer. “What did you do to my garden, Linda?” I asked, getting right to the point. For an instant, she appeared surprised. But then that annoying smile came back. “Ah, that! I recently made a much-needed improvement for your garden. Do you not adore it?I was shocked at how casually she discussed ruining something I had worked so hard on. “You tore out all my flowers and filled it with those awful gnomes!” I shouted. “How could you think that was okay?” She shrugged her eyes and said, “Well, someone had to do something about that eyesore,” “You’ve got no taste in exterior design, so I thought I’d show you how it’s done.” “Seriously, Linda?” I had my eyes wide open as I looked at her. “You were not authorized to do that! That was MY garden, and your stupid notion damaged it! How were you able to accomplish that?” She shrugged, “It’s just a garden, darling.” “If you’d been paying more attention to your home and less to your mother’s issues, maybe you’d have better priorities.”I was hearing things that I couldn’t believe. “My mom’s problems? Linda, she was ill! You are really daring!” Linda, though, wasn’t done. “Honestly, maybe if you put as much effort into having children as you do into those silly flowers, you’d give me some real grandkids to spend time with.” And that was all. She had passed that line. Tears were hurting my eyes, but I was fighting the need to cry. Rather, I turned to face Tom, who appeared to want to disappear completely by sinking into the earth. “We’re heading out, Tom. Right now.” However, Linda had one more shocking revelation to make before we left. “Oh, and those gnomes weren’t cheap either. For them, you owe me. I’m counting on you to reimburse me. I didn’t even say anything. All I did was take hold of Tom’s hand and yank him outside.The days that followed were hard. My heart broke a little more each time I glanced out at my once-beautiful yard, which is now a sea of ugly gnomes. I knew that going straight after Linda wouldn’t work, but I still wanted to get even somehow. She would simply reframe the situation such that it appeared as though I was being unreasonable. Karma then made the decision to intervene. I received a frantic call from Linda a week after our disagreement. She cried, “Come to my place, now!” into the phone. “Save me from this mess, Stacey!”Why is she suddenly in need of me? I pondered. I drove to her residence out of curiosity to find out what had transpired. But I was astounded by what I saw when I got there. I genuinely believed I was dreaming. Linda’s immaculately tended garden was utterly demolished. Her beloved rose bushes were reduced to broken stalks, the flower beds were tramped underfoot, and the grass was ripped up. The best thing, though? It seems like a family of raccoons had taken up residence in her yard and caused the havoc.I couldn’t contain my laughter. Linda, who had always taken such delight in her well manicured garden, was now facing the same kind of destruction that she had caused me. Her eyes begged for my assistance, as though she was anticipating it.“Is this really true? My garden has been completely destroyed! You must assist me in fixing it.”All I could do was smile. “Well, Linda, maybe if you spent more time focusing on your garden and less time destroying mine, this wouldn’t have happened.”Linda couldn’t say anything. As I turned to go, she remained silent. But before I went, I wanted to add one more thing.What about those gnomes, then? You are free to keep them. Think of these as a present from me to you.”I couldn’t help but feel vindicated as I was driving home. The idea that the cosmos has a method of bringing everything into balance astonished me.Linda never imagined going through the same suffering that she caused me, but I’m glad it did because perhaps now she would see how important it is to appreciate other people’s interests and endeavors. Maybe she would completely quit meddling in our lives.