Plants grow when their conditions suit them.
And that’s the thing about plants—they are capable of a stasis, if they have just enough to get by. That’s why the plant I bought from the hardware store years ago still looks the same—after two years, it’s grown two leaves. I’m not sure what conditions it needs to thrive, but clearly, my home is not meeting them.
But it persists, and it exists just as visibly happy as it’s ever been. Green, perky, smiling in the indirect sunlight. I am learning from this gangly little dieffenbachia that I do not have to be growing out of my pot right now. I can celebrate my single unfurling leaf for all the weeks it’ll take to unfurl.
Right now, the conditions for growth are not conducive for a thriving jungle, for most people. If we’re lucky enough to get a little sliver of sun peeking through our north-facing windows at sunset, we might stretch out our fingers towards it. We might try to catch it in a gleaming glass of white wine, making drunken prisms on our walls.
Everyone needs tending during this slow photosynthesis. Get some sunlight when you can, drink water. Maybe later, when the fertilizer of a busy world is once again available, you can turn over a new leaf. In the meantime, soothe your bristles and your spindles with affirmations, and offer breath and color into the spaces you occupy.
Now is the time to nourish the leaves I have, to keep them shiny, to check in on my roots to make sure they’re not tangled.
I can become a forest another time.
Today’s Prompt: Imagine yourself as a plant—describe your flowers, your thorns, your fruits. What makes your leaves bright and your roots strong?
**Switching things up here with a journaling/meditation prompt each day, feel free to share your answers to the prompts in the comments below 💛🌿