1. The Joy Of 'Parenting'
After watering plants for a few months, there was this one day when I was thinking about how the plants looked like when I first started watering them. I have this plant that sort of dangles on the wall and it was quite small when my mum first bought it. Now, it's huge. We also have this tiny garden plant that we place on the table for decoration. The leaves it used to have could be counted with my fingers and toes! Not anymore though. This epiphany gave me a sense of achievement. I'm the reason all these plants grew so big (apart from my mum's great gardening skills)! It just feels wonderful. The change from a tiny little plant to a big strong one is amazing to see, but even more amazing to be a part of. I guess that's how parents feel too, seeing their kids, who used to crawl around the house, becoming adults fully capable of sustaining themselves. It makes me feel proud when I know I helped the little plant to grow into what it is now.
2. No 'Child' Isn't Loved
I admit that I prefer some of the plants in my family's garden over others. For the ones I fancied, I put more attention into the amount of water I poured and for the rest, I just gave them whatever I had left in the watering can. After some time, the leaves of the plants that I didn't pay much attention to started to turn yellow. My heart ached a little when I saw it. That's when I realized that I loved all the plants in the garden, regardless of my preference or their looks. All the plants were shaped by my hands, and I felt responsible for them. I couldn't just leave them to die (other than the fact that my mum will murder me if I do). All of them were like little children to me. Kids, don't ever think your parents don't love you as much as your siblings because they do, but they just express it in different ways because you're different.
3. Moderation Is Important
Doing anything in moderation is important. As I said earlier, I gave more water to the plants I loved and less to the plants I think were a waste of space. Not only did the plants who didn't get as much water wilt, but even the plants I gave more water to had difficulties growing. It was drowning. Just like a child,getting too much or too little attention will cause negative implications. Even eating vegetables excessively can cause health problems! Therefore, it's important that we learn to strike a balance between 2 extremes and determine what's the best 'amount' that we should give or take in.
4. Routine Gives A Peace Of Mind
People complain about timetables and routines and repetitions that get boring. I say it only gets boring because you choose to make it boring. I water the plants every day and there's always something new to see. Just because the activities are the same, it doesn't mean that the environment and the mood has to be. Occasionally, butterflies fly around the garden and birds fly past too. However, what gives me the peace of mind is knowing that I have the ability to continue my routine day after day. It makes me feel comfortable and secure because I'm not pressed by other urgent matters to the point where my routine is ruined. When there's a guide in front of you to follow, it feels peaceful to just be free from decisions for awhile without worrying about consequences.
Watering plants doesn't have to be a boring task. It can be pretty interesting when you open up your mind to it. Hopefully this articles reminds you that you can learn lots of lessons even from doing chores.
Have an experience to share about gardening? Or did you learn something from gardening too? Tell us about it in the comments below!
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