Breathe deep, fill the water tank, add a bit of food, adjust the blinds, walk around, and talk.
Monday mornings, right after the sun rises and begins to shine bright, I get the sacred chance to pour into the lives of those who have poured into me.
With 33 house plants and most given to me as gifts, I get to reconnect with life in the most unusual way. As I walk around, memories of the givers flood my thoughts; laughs with my little brother- RIP, eating shark with my Mother-in-law, clinical supervision with one of my favorite former students and counselors, drinking wine and learning about love, families and more.
But, it’s more than that too. Watering my plants teaches me spiritual lessons too*.
1. Adjust the blinds so the right amount of sunlight can come in
*Sometimes the light and the answers are just outside of ourselves. All we have to do is open up, adjust, be positioned right, and let nature take its course. Do the work to adjust and accept the gift of “what is"
2. Choose the right location for the plant
*Where we are in life is a choice. We must choose to see opportunities, even when we have to squint and look at unusual settings or when we aren’t quite sure if we will grow in a particular place. But, instead of JUST relying on nature (light, water, roots), we have to work to position ourselves for opportunities, be open to what doesn’t make sense, and be willing to choose a new location after we have been patient, waited for growth, and seen a stalling. But, positioning matters as much as nature and work matters as much as faith.
3. Move the plant, as needed
*Work. Be patient. Use a keen eye and intuition. Grow as I can and be aware when the maximum growth has been achieved and not beforehand. Moving too soon can cause a stalling. Moving too late can cause a burn (emotionally too). Just be mindful and move at the right time… if it’s needed.
4. Take time and research each plant, it’s needs, it’s ideal environment, it’s seasonal changes
*In this fast paced society, it’s appropriate to allocate designated time just to learn. I’m not in school anymore so I don’t have to be in one place at a certain time. But I can take that same structure and just sit and learn. I can take this very intentional time to learn about myself through silence, to learn about others through direct questions, to learn about spirit through reading and meditation, and to learn to rest… just rest. But, it’s all based on the gift of intention and the gift of time.
5. Check the roots for health, rot, damage
*Life can damage us. We can be raised well, spiritually grounded, self-aware, and still
experience damage to our soul, character, and sense of being. And slowly, we can lose ourselves. Slowly, we can rot. So every once in a while, we have to check ourselves, quite literally. Check to see if we are behaving within the same values that were imparted on us. Check to see if our actions align with our spirit. Check to see if we have been damaged or have damaged others. Without checking, the root of us can perish and we can lose ourselves.
6. Propagate and share with others
*As we learn, apply the knowledge, and grow… or as we self-reflect, take time, become
intentional, and grow… we can share our journeys with others. Sometimes we stay silent because we don’t want to come across as cocky or a know-it-all. Maybe we become ashamed of our old root rot or of a time when we stayed in a position too long, or even when we were burned by life… but we shifted, adjusted, learned and grew. It’s ok to share the details of our journeys with select individuals so they can have a beautiful journey full of life too.
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