3 BIG Life Lessons I have Learned From My Plants
I am a plant lady through and through! It started with 1 philodendron and quickly exploded into 40 different varieties of houseplants in my 1 bedroom condo. This includes 6 tress along with multiples of some plants… making for over 50 total. PLUS, I have my balcony garden with 10 flower varieties, 4 kinds of peppers, 3 varieties of basil, 2 types of lettuce, a tomato plant, and 8 green bean plants. I am a plant lady.
I love my plants. I love looking at them, caring for them, and enjoying all of the marvelous benefits they provide my environment. But MOST OF ALL, I love all of the life lessons they share with me and the things they continue to teach me every day.
Here are 3 BIG life lessons I’ve learned from my plants:
1. Cut out the dead stuff.
Parts of plants die off. Sometimes, it’s simply that that part of the plant has come to the end of its life cycle. Some plants look like they are dying on the outside but have so much life left in their roots and under the surface. You just can’t see it! By removing all of the dead leaves and debris, you are providing additional resources for the plant to put out new growth.
We also go through periods where parts of our lives or selves have simply come to the end of their cycle. It can be scary to let those things grow. But in removing those dead or dying pieces we are freeing up a lot of space and energy to allow new potential to bloom.
2. Choose to thrive rather than survive.
When I moved into a new home last year, I intentionally picked somewhere with a LOT of natural light. Almost two full walls of my living room are windows. All of my plants absolutely exploded in the first 3 months I lived here. They loved the sunlight so much that some of them doubled in size in just a few months.
While snake plants can survive in low light conditions, they THRIVE when given more sun! Within my first two month after my move, my snake plant bloomed with the most glorious flowers, it put out over a dozen new leaves, and it grew almost 18”. While it was alive and doing just fine in a lower light environment, giving it more sunlight let it reach it’s full potential.
While you and I can survive in subpar conditions, giving ourselves more of the things we need can help us reach our full potential. More sunshine isn’t just good for our plants, it’s also important for us humans.
3. Take care of the pests quickly.
Pests are an inevitability when you have plants. Eventually, you will have to deal with something pesky that you don’t want to. BUT, the faster you get the situation handled, the less likely it is to spread, and the least amount of potential for permanent damage.
No one wants to deal with pests; but, ignoring the problem will only make it worse. The longer you go without taking care of an issue, the worse the problem gets and the more energy it will take to resolve. Pests multiply fast. Thus, draining your plant of its essential nutrients and ability to stay healthy and strong. You have to treat the problem to protect the plant.
This is true in both plants and life. Whether it’s pesky tasks or toxic situations/people, dealing with a problem is the only way to keep it from spreading. Simply ignoring that a problem exists, or masking the issues, will only intensify its eventual impact. Find the cause and handle the issue.
What other important life lessons have you learned from your plants? Are you giving yourself enough light to grow? Let’s talk about how you can cut out the dead stuff to create your most vibrant life, yet!!
<3 Katey
