Why Not? With Teri Speight of Cottage in the Court
Meet Teri Speight, who is rocking life at 58. I adore Teri! Her plan of being married forever, fell apart when her husband had a different idea as their youngest was in high school.
After spending a month crying in bed, her close friend told her “you’ve got to get up and get moving”, and she did. She had to completely reinvent her life, moving to a new state, finding a new job and house, while uprooting her children. Throughout her challenges and victories, gardening and writing about gardening became her safety net and “saved her soul”.
In the episode we discuss:
- The power of forgiving and ex-spouse
- Finding a way to get your mind off of all of life’s challenges through an interest or hobby
- Using your hobby as a way to connect with others
- Finding beauty in your life
- The power of writing
- Asking yourself “Why Not?” when feeling fear
- The value of solo-travel (Teri went to Paris by herself) even though she was “scared to beans!”
- The power of doing something you never dreamed you could do
- Doing what brings you joy, don’t wait for others to bring you joy
- Remembering that everyone goes through tough times
- The importance of PUSHING THROUGH to your goals, regardless of fear never run away!
- Turning fear into excitement, crossing the bridge
- Teri’s first experience as a board member
- Going gray and becoming more comfortable with yourself over 50
- Teri’s Why Not philosophy
- Teri’s fun with Facebook Live and her advice to Mary
Teri says, “I just want to be me. Everything that is facing me that is a challenge, I am anticipating it with such joy”.
CottageInTheCourt is where I am cultivating my vision of my passions envisioning and developing gardens, immersing my hands in the earth to beautify my green space as well as feed my body and soul, creating with fiber/fabrics and helping others create their ultimate green space. CottageInTheCourt continually evolves, as I realize that I want to share some of my favorite things, places (at home and abroad), thoughts and of course gardening.
I am Teresa J. Speight, Native Washingtonian, a Mother, Grandmother, avid naturalist, Steward of our Land, Master Gardener, Garden Writer, Environmentalist, History lover, promoter of Afro-centric gardening methods and incorporating such practices in today’s gardens. To forget the past, as my ancestor’s hands have helped build and feed this Nation when it was young would disrespect my heritage. My ancestral sharecropping roots originated in Snow Hill, North Carolina and Laurens, South Carolina, so connecting with the earth is authentic to me. I cannot and would not want to deny my heritage, particularly as I am passionate about sharing my love of gardening.
