About a year ago, I bought a
flowery plant to add to the lot at the front of the house and I was so excited about how
it brightened our home. I am one of those people whose physical environment affects
their moods. For instance, I need my workspace tidy and quiet to focus and get
things done. I love my living room bright for a cheery mood and I
need the lights turned off to sleep. Therefore, I bought this particular plant
just because of the flowers – lovely pink and red flowers – to light up my
garden.
However, few weeks after I brought the plant home it started to
wither. I called the gardener and we added manure. We changed the watering
routine and did everything she recommended to make the plant blossom again but nothing changed. I was sad and felt the gardener had cheated me but she kept saying I should give it time. It was more painful because my neighbours have exactly the same plant and theirs was doing beautifully well, even during the dry season.
Just when I had given up on the plant, I noticed some new leaves and a couple of beautiful flowers blooming! You can only imagine my joy. I saw the plant this morning again, reflected on some lessons from the experience and decided to share with you, with the hope that you find them useful at some point.
1. I guess my new plant delayed in blooming because it needed some time to adapt to its new environment. When it had fully adjusted, it blossomed. Give yourself some time to adjust if you find you are “struggling” with something new – a new job, role, relationship, etc. Perhaps you are doing well yourself but have this colleague, friend, child, anyone who seems to be struggling, be patient and give them some time to “settle in”.
2. Seeing my neighbours’ plant blooming when mine was not, further dampened my spirit. Please do not play the game of comparisons; we are all unique with varying degrees of strengths and weaknesses in different areas.
3. I actually considered taking the plant back to the gardener and picking a different one but thankfully, she did not agree. Do not give up! Amongst other things, seek help when you need to, build a strong support system, use a planner, pray and just keep keeping on!
Cheers to a season of blooming!
