6 Lessons I learned about life from my plants
Lesson #1 | You can’t rush a Cherry Blossom
This Japanese saying may sound like a cliche, but it is so f***ing true. Some of my plants, which I almost gave up on, surprised me and suddenly bloomed even after a year that they didn’t move an inch.
A very nice Ficus Elastica I got as a present for my 27th birthday looked exactly the same for almost a year, the same year I felt really stuck in my professional life. 2 months before my 28th birthday I was shocked to witness a significant growth in my Ficus!. Around this time I managed to find a really good job and started to feel like I’m moving forward with my career. That whole time I was watering and nourishing my Ficus, I washed its leaves, exposed it to nice sun, and gave it nothing but love.
This persistence in both cases, yielded results by all means. It took a while to see some good news, but I guess it was worth it in both cases. After receiving some good feedback and experiencing growth It’s definitely not the time to stop cultivating! It’s just a reminder to continue your hard work, because it pays off.
Lesson #2 | Dead leaves take my energy and don’t bring something in return Well, it happened to all of us at some point where we realized we are still maintaining a dying plant. It’s OK! it’s hard to admit defeat, to feel like we have failed or just feel bad about a nice plant dying on our watch.
By maintaining it we give love, care, time and thought to something that we cannot receive that kindness in return. Dead leaves start to get all fungi at some point, they don’t look so good in our home or office and may bring bad energies and thoughts. I had to let go of my Sansevieria Trifasciata recently because it was dead and just not happening anymore.
I was just after a break up from a recent partner, thinking of how I needed to let go of this person from my everyday life because it was too energy consuming for me. I put a lot of thought and effort into him, though I didn’t feel like I’m getting enough attention and care in return. Unfortunately, some metaphorical fungus started to grow into our relationship.
Spending time and energy for something is super hard and challenging, for example studying for my Masters degree was demanding but I find it very rewarding so the effort I put in — eventually paid off. We all have our dead leaves in our life, sometimes we hold on to them and sometimes we just need to let them go.
Lesson #3 | I forget to stop and look at my growth and accomplishments Growth is exciting. It doesn’t matter in what life aspect, it can be graduating from university, having kids, moving to a nicer apartment and so on. Because growth is totally a process, an everyday effort, it takes time to see results, as I already mentioned the saying “You can’t rush a Cherry Blossom”.
The process aspect sometimes gets lost in the way of waiting for the amazing final outcomes to arrive. Graduating for example, can take years to finally happen! we can’t be hard on ourselves and wait for so long to feel good about our accomplishments. Sometimes I’m being too hard on my Sansevieria Fischeri which barely changes by its nature.
I watch and track my plants all the time. Sometimes I’m amazed and proud of their growth and sometimes I wonder why they never grow and stay exactly the same. It depends only on my attitude. In phases that I feel stuck, unsuccessful and just want to be alone it’s much harder for me to see my growth, or any growth. If I’m in a more productive and creative state of mind I can sense and acknowledge even the tiniest growth and effort.
Lesson #4 | Sometimes I have to let go in order to see some change This lesson is so hard for me to apply in my life, after all I’m an anxious control freak. Looking up for my next goals, working hard to get reputations and salary, chasing success in general keeps me busy all the time. Very rarely I try to take a step back, let go and let all my hard work do its magic.
Almost 3 years ago I got a tiny purple Orchid as a gift for moving to my first apartment after living with my parents my whole life. The cutest little flowers bloomed for a few months, then naturally fell off during summer time. I took care of the Orchid obsessively, gave it water, sun, shade, love, and soil. Just like when I was job hunting back than, I didn’t take a minute off and always tried to find a solution.
After almost 2 years of taking care of the Orchid without seeing any purple flower, I went on a vacation to Amsterdam. For a week no one checked it or took care of it obsessively. when I got back home I was amazed to see the most beautiful small Orchid flowers!. Although the same week I got rejected by a workplace I was interviewing for, I definitely learned my lesson of letting go.
Lesson #5 | In the best conditions suitable for me, I can thrive Finding the perfect conditions for a plant is difficult and sometimes even impossible. Sun, light, water, fertilizers, soil, pot, humidity, temperature, energies and more are all important to get the best out of a plant. Different plants have different needs, so finding the balance between multiple plants can be tricky.
I lived in an apartment with 2 roommates, we were having the best time together, mostly partying. After one week to my Masters in Philosophy I made up my mind and left the apartment, the environment wasn’t working for me anymore, not what I needed at that time. Same as my plants, I can be my best version if I have the right environment for my needs.
I have a large Blue Pearl Succulent in my balcony, it can literally survive an atomic bomb, not kidding. I’m always so jealous of this succulent, I was afraid to let it absorb direct sun, humidity, rain, dirt, wind and barely needing water. Apparently some plants (or people) are more spoiled than one another, but for sure the best way to grow is to fine tune your environment and atmosphere until you find the best one working for you.
Lesson #6 | I need enough space to grow Every time I buy or get a new plant, I start by making sure I place it in a large pot giving the roots the opportunity to grow. Watering, nourishing and taking general care of my plants is important for them to survive, but without proper space for their roots they will struggle growing.
After a year in one workplace I felt like I’m doing the same things over and over again, stuck in a small company with not much of an opportunity to grow. I was studying for my Masters degree and was working on my design portfolio to feel like I’m progressing. All I needed was a bigger company and the feeling I’m in a position that I can work hard and grow into.
I used to have a Glacier Pothos on my coffee table, in a tiny well-designed ceramic pot; at some point it didn’t have enough space to grow into, both inside and outside. After moving it to a new apartment I re-planted it in a bigger pot and placed it over the fridge, it took a few weeks but it thrived and grew long and beautiful. We all grow at a different rate, indeed we need space to aspire to get bigger. If you feel stuck- maybe you just need a better ground and a more spacious environment.
Hope you will benefits from these insights and you got a little moment of positive thinking.
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