Simple lessons of Life

My last real attempt at any form of Gardening was when I was around 10 years old, when we had a massive big garden and it was loads of fun working around it with my dad. As I grew older (wiser?) I thought plants were a complete waste of time for me.

That was until I inherited 2 plants when my sweetheart returned to home. 2 became 3 when some event hosting company I was working with thought it was clever to present people with baby cacti. Nevertheless I suddenly had these 3 life forms on my bedroom window sill that needed loads of attention and tending and caring for. Now I thought how bad can this get? A lil bit of water once in a while, and they will just sit content and flowering away happily and adding to the aesthetic value of my bedroom.

It was easy to start with, until I started forgetting and overlooking the care and attention they needed. And what was once a pretty little potted plant with an occasional peaceful bloomer, which looked something like this:



became this!


Alarm bells ringing! It wrenched my heart to think i had let the life evaporate out of this little plant - and all it needed was about 30 seconds of my time every day. Just wanted to be remembered. It was a weird feeling. Once in a while I would glance at it, and where once I would find a pretty pair of white flowers smiling back at me, I saw evidence of ignorance and remains of Life. I was sad, and even worse because it was something that meant so much to my sweetheart. If she couldn't trust me with one plant, how could she trust me with her heart?

But the ever supporting and motivating person as she has always been, she told me not to give up. And give up I did not. I kept at it, watering him everyday. Caring, tending, I even drove away flies that would come to "feed" on it. I stopped just short of sitting down and talking to it lovingly.

I woke up this morning and was going through my usual morning routine. For a moment I stopped in front of my window, and glanced down at the plant as usual before picking up the yellow plastic glass (the very same glass she used to feed them - silly as I am, I think they recognise that glass!) to feed them water. Just as I looked away, I traced my gaze back to the lil "dead" plant. And my heart started beating faster - could it be? Could it really be?! NO! But I almost shrieked YES! I looked closer, and there it was. The unmistakable sign of Life! A little, tender, pink budding leaf. He was ALIVE! I could not stop smiling ear to ear. The brave fellow lived, and all that love, attention and care finally paid off. There he was, making it through all the odds, finally sprang a lil leaf to tell me he is alive!

It was such a fond moment for me. Such a simple message of love and care, delivered so subtly and so innocently. Whatever it is in life, relationships especially - is no different to this plant. All it requires is some love and attention, and life will remain as beautiful as this plant.