Lessons from Nature–Are you growing where you are planted?
There are so many lessons that can be learned from nature. Just while “growing” this post I came across a few great ones like growing an innovative company via invasive species, learning to go with the flow via the ocean waves, moving toward our goals via rabbits, and the difference between curing and healing via a dandelion.
One thing about plants is they grow everywhere, you can find plants in the ocean, in the desert, in the tropical rainforest and in the middle of a driveway crack. But the thing about a plant is this, planted in the right location it will thrive…in the wrong location and it will choke and die. Some different locations are very obvious; a tropical rainforest plant will most likely not survive in the desert. Much as a cold weather plant will not survive in a tropical location. However, some variations of location are much more subtle and not as easy to notice.
I happen to have a plant I love, I do not know its official name, I call it an elephant ear plant because it has huge elephant ear looking leaves.
I have grown this plant at the last four homes I have lived in. The very same plant, I have moved it with me. All four homes have been in the same basic Florida climate, the plant has weathered hurricanes, hailstorms, baking heat and this last winter more freezing weather than it can remember. For all intents and purposes you would say this is a very positive thinking plant, it survives pretty much anything.
At times this plant has been reduced to barely a single stalk when I have planted it in the wrong location, now this just may be a corner that was too sunny or to dry. Other plants were growing there but it wasn’t the right spot for it. I would replant the small dying stalk sometimes only ten feet away and it would quickly return to its abundant leafy glory. When it is really doing well, I have moved some of it’s off spring plants to give them room and again found there were certain spots it just did not thrive in. I may move three in a row, two thrive and the third didn’t but as soon as I relocated the third it began to thrive.
So, take a lesson from a plant, if you are not abundantly growing where you are, there is nothing wrong with you. You might just need a small shift; even if others around you are thriving while you are not, the “location” you are in may not be right for you. Don’t give up or think a major replant is necessary, start with smaller easier to make moves or shifts, you may just find your abundant growth was only a few feet away.
Nice job Edie!
I liken we humans to plants all the time. When we look underneath the ground at the roots of the plant, it can simply be that the ground is too hard, too sandy, etc for the roots to stretch out and grow, which prevents the plant from flourishing. When I dig up a thriving plant I love to see the intricate network of roots that it takes to support the above ground beauty. When we get to know people who are flourishing, we begin to see the network of people that support them and vice versa.
While there is wisdom to the saying, "Grow where you are planted", I think there is great courage and practicality in your thesis Edie. I'm an "earth" person so I am always orienting towards environments that make my spirit rise. As you point out, these don't have to be big moves. Sometimes we can make small adjustments that stack up to big differences in whether we blossom or not! I love your article Edie! Thank you so much for sharing.
Teresa what a perfect vision….the roots that stretch out and grow are the network of people that grow and support us. LOVE it, and thank you for being one of my strongest roots!
Thomas, thank you for your comments and support. It is so important to always move towards what makes your spirit rise.
Sometimes, it's just the smallest move and/or new shift in thinking, doing, playing that makes a HUGE difference…and one begins to flourish.
Thanks, Edie.
What a great post. I really believe this is true. Thanks for sharing this with us.
Edie, indeed gardening provides such wonderful metaphors for so, so many aspects of life. Truly amazing that such a beautiful activity can also be so enlightening. Which is why I treasure my gardening time as a way to nourish my soul (getting back to nature) and my mind. Thanks for introducing this benefit to readers who may not have previously considered this added benefit.
Edie – I thoroughly enjoyed reading this post. Thank you!
I had errors viewing the site in Firefox on the Mac, but apart from that loved the post.