8 Lessons I learnt from Plants

We had plants in our home ever since I can remember but I never closely observed them. The pandemic forced us to stay within the four walls of our home. It gave me a new outlook to look at the same plants that surrounded me.

As the lockdown progressed, the work from home breaks turned to sitting by the couch sipping hot tea and watching the little plants grow a little each day. The weekends on the other hand have been days where I would catch up on some reading on the kindle in the little green corner of our home.

Being surrounded by plants everyday has taught a few lessons. Here are the 8 lessons that I would like to share with you.

1. Focus on the brightside of life

This is a very recent experience when I got home a new plant baby. I was really excited about this one and would watch it closely everyday. I saw that all the leaves turned towards the sunlight and there were barely 2-3 leaves on the shady side. I turned the plant after 2 days to check what happened. I was fascinated to see, all the leaves turned towards the sunlight within 1-2 days. This experience taught me that no matter what situation you are in, you should focus on the bright side of your life.

2. Good things take time

During the pandemic itself, I also got to watch the plant's life cycle. It gave me immense happiness to watch the tiny leaves sprouting, then uncurling to form delicate baby leaves and then growing larger to big, dark green and then see them wilting. I learnt that good things take time.

3. You can thrive in solitude

Plants survive even when they are kept alone.They do not need constant care and attention like pets or babies yet they grow. They do not also depend on constant company to be able to thrive.As for us, we are social animals but that we can surely learn to enjoy our company.

4. You should always give more than you take.

Plants do not need a load of water and sunlight to thrive. Infact, they wilt when they are watered too much. They only take as much as they need. With the minimum requirement of water and sunlight, plants give us oxygen, absorb harmful chemicals from the atmosphere, give us fruits, vegetables and herbs. Birds also used the areca palm leaves and built their nests on these plants. They served as temporary homes to the tiny nestlings. We on the other hand are always greedy for more.

5. You should adapt to changes

As the weather changes, the plants shed their leaves,grow new ones or bear fruits and vegetables. They may take a little time to adjust which is what I observed when new plants are brought home, they need to be left for a few days alone to be able recover from the shock of travel. But within a few days you will see that they have adapted to the new surroundings. What I learnt from this was that there will always be changes in your life, you should be ready to adapt and thrive.

6. Grow stronger roots

When repotting plants, I observed that the plants that were stronger had a well developed root system. The weaker ones usually had a shallow root system. This taught me that you should always focus on a strong foundation for your long term growth.

7. Embrace your own unique self

Each plant has his own unique feature that differentiates it from others. To give you a few examples, the Aloe Vera plant is known for its skin and hair care benefits. The Snake plant is known to release oxygen during the day as well as night which is why it can be placed in the bedrooms. The Areca Palms are known to increase humidity in the surroundings making them good for winters. With this I learnt that you should always embrace your unique self and not compare yourself with others.

8. Finding joy in simple things

Most of all,bringing plants home brought me joy, peace and positivity. It added so much greenery to my home which serves as a great home decor.

Do you also like being surrounded by greenery and plants. If so, what have you learnt from them. Let me know in your comments section below. I would love to hear back from you.