The Wisdom Of Houseplants
I’m somewhat of a house plant enthusiast. Enthusiast, not expert. It has become for me a great exercise in self-care and patience. I love watching new leaves grow or flowers bloom. I’ve spent countless hours dusting and pruning leaves, watering, and repotting. I have fussed over my unhappy plants, and admired the healthy ones. And while I view it all as one big experiment, there is so much wisdom that I have gleaned from these silent, oxygen-producing organisms.
- Growth takes time.
Have you ever paid attention to how long it takes for a plant to grow a new leaf, and to see that leaf unfold in its entirety? It is not a quick process. It can take days, weeks, or sometimes even longer for this new growth to mature. While day-to-day I don’t see any major changes, the truth is that there is plenty going on–both below the surface of the soil and above it. It’s such a great mirror to the human experience as we pursue change and growth. It isn’t instantaneous, as much as we might like it to be! It takes time, and is well worth it.
- It’s okay to make a change.
As I said earlier, my plant hobby has been one big experiment. When I got started, I had absolutely no idea how much sun or water my different plants needed to thrive! I’m sure my family thought I was crazy as I played “musical plants” around our home, moving them from one windowsill or shelf to another every so often. It has been trial and error, and that is okay! When we identify what is not working in our lives, it is both acceptable and healthy to pursue change to find what we need.
- Be willing to put in the necessary work.
There is only so much that my plants can do to sustain themselves; they need me to put in the proper amount of work for them to be in any state of health! For example, if I kept all of my curtains closed and blocked out natural light, never repotted them, and only watered them once a year, I can guarantee you that I would be watering dead plants. To keep them alive and thriving, they need to be nurtured, and that requires consistent work on my part. That is true of us as well! In order to maintain a state of health (and in order to thrive), we need to be willing to put in the necessary, consistent work for it to be possible. If we neglect ourselves, we risk the danger of eventually trying to care for a shriveled up version of ourselves. We will need to be nursed back to health.
- Listen closely, and much will be revealed.
I’ve heard it said that plants are like babies–if you pay close attention, they will tell you what they need even though they cannot speak. That is so true! Whether my plants are water-logged, under watered, not receiving enough sunlight, or getting a sunburn, they let me know! As long as I’m paying attention, that is. If I slow down enough to notice and listen, they will tell me exactly what they need. How often do we do that with ourselves? Typically, there is so much going on that it takes some serious intentionality on our part for us to slow down and listen to what is going on inside of us. But I can assure you that if we make the time to notice and listen, what we need to be the healthiest version of ourselves will be made known.
- Celebrate the fruit that labor produces!
After two years of careful attention and work, one day it happened. BAM! The first beautiful blossom on my Christmas cactus exploded into full glory. And to put the cherry on top, it happened right around Christmas time! For my plant enthusiast heart, it was definitely a cause for celebration. After two years of work, a breakthrough of beauty occurred. Similarly, investing in yourself is hard, arduous work. Some days, it may feel like nothing is happening as we ask ourselves “what’s the point of this?” But eventually, we do see the fruit of all of the time and effort that we have invested. And when we do, it’s so important not to minimize the fruit of change, the progress that we see. It’s time to celebrate!
I may not be a house plant expert, and I still have a lot to learn. But isn’t that true of our lives? We never “arrive.” There are always ways that we can grow and change, and always things to focus on and celebrate. The house plant is such a beautiful analogy for the human soul: true growth takes time, but eventually beautiful new growth happens, and for that we move forward with purpose toward the day of celebration.
