Don't Forget the Plants

 

“Don’t forget to drink water and get some sun. You’re basically a houseplant with more complicated emotions.” – Unknown

               What if plants were people

                       And people were plants?

                                         

 

I live with a friend who loves plants, her house is full of them. We also live in a very hot climate. 

My friend and I had gone on a vacation. We had separate plane tickets. She left first. I left second. My job was to hand over the housekeys to the person taking me to the airport. In the midst of an early morning goodbye, the keys were completely forgotten. Our plants were left to fend for themselves.

Through this forgotten exchange of keys, her plants were faced with a traumatic experience. Although they had plenty of sunshine, there was no one there to turn on the air conditioner once in a while to give them a break from the heat. There was no one there to give them a drink when they were thirsty.

                  

What if plants were people                                                             And people were plants?                                                                                               

Everyone experiences not so ideal situations, just like the plants. I have my own examples and you have yours. 

As I was the last to leave, I was also the first to come back. Upon arriving at our apartment, I curiously inspected all of the plants.

 The plants that had thick leaves seemed to have not been affected at all by the lack of water. However, the plants with thin leaves gave me a complaining look by their wilted leaves. Surprisingly, the cactus that had stayed outside the whole time yet had the thickest “leaves” complained the most. It was barely standing. The string that had been supporting it was no longer strong enough to keep it straight.

 I watered the plants. I made sure they had sunlight. I gave the indoor plants a bit of air-conditioning a few hours a day to keep the house from being an oven. I tried to tie up the cactus so that he would be better supported. Then I watched to see how the plants would respond.

What if plants were people 

 

            And people were plants?

 Every not so ideal situation affects us, just like the plants. 

Perhaps the plants with thicker leaves are those of us who have been through situations like that before. Perhaps we had learned ways of saving up water and resources for days when there would be none. Perhaps a week without water was a normal experience and not at all traumatic.

On the other hand

Perhaps the plants with thinner leaves are like those of us who are shocked by the situation. Perhaps we are shocked by the heat and the lack of water and don’t know how to cope or survive without it. Perhaps we are crying out for help through our wilted leaves.

As for the cactus, perhaps some of us need a bit of extra help.

  

What if plants were people

                        And people were plants?

As the week followed, I watched the plants slowly respond.

The outside wilted vine perked right up. It rained during the week giving it even more happiness and health. 

The lily type plant with delicate leaves quit looking so sorrowfully at me. Its stems felt strong yet it was still bent in an odd manner. After assessing the issue, I turned its pot around. A few days later it was standing straightened right up. Other than a few brown leaves, it looked healthy and happy again.

Most of the indoor thick leaved plants looked no different. I let them enjoy their bliss. Except for one that began to worry me. He wasn’t wilted. He wasn’t brown. But he started getting some yellow on his edges. Did he perhaps suffered more from the tragedy than I had originally thought?

The poor cactus could not stand up right. I adjusted his string trying to help him find a comfortable position. I noticed that his baby “leaves” were now standing straight. He had enough water, yet something was still not right. I was confused. He was a cactus and should be used to not being watered, so why was he acting so limp and strange?  Then it rained and poured. Now he had too much water. This was a second tragedy right after the first. I decided the sun would be his best chance of survival.

 

What if plants were people

           And people were plants?

 

What category of plants would you belong?

What category of plants do you see your friend in?

 

Perhaps like the outside wilted vine who got the exact help they needed to perk back up.

Perhaps like the lily type plant who responded with the water but also needed to see life from a different perspective to be fully back alive and healthy.

Perhaps like the thick leaved plants that felt no effect yet would have died if they had been left unwatered for months on end.

Perhaps like the thick leaved plant that looked okay in the beginning but underneath something still wasn’t quite right. Someone who might need a little more love and care even after everyone else is up and running with a smile.

Perhaps like the cactus who had been just barely making it before. Yet everyone assumed he was okay, because he was cactus and they are easy going plants. Yet when a small traumatic experience like no water for a week came his way, he reached his breaking point. It's okay, he is a cactus. Cacti always pop back up, right?

 

Don’t forget the plants

Each individual in their own way

Each effected by not ideal situations differently

Each respond to tender loving care differently

Each with their own skills and talents

Each with their own history

Each with their own secrets

Don't forget the plants