Watching live plants in my home over the past couple of years has given me invaluable insight into the delicate, yet strong, nature of life. I am not a proclaimed plant parent, to say the least. (Shout a prayer for any green baby that gets dropped off this way!) In fact, after purchasing my first home, I was met with many judgmental side eyes at the artificial plants I so lovingly cared for! After about the 6th, “No, ma’am! This aint what we doin’” I dreadfully made my way to a nursery. I’ve been astounded by the similarities between caring for and nurturing the needs of  a plant versus a human. 

Personalized Care

I once had a plant that appeared visibly dead for weeks. While the other plants in my room appeared to thrive from the same amount of water and light, this one shriveled over time. Yet, I continued to force the same amount of “nutrients” into it, ignoring its needs and giving it what I thought it should have. It felt like an inconvenience for me to create a specific caretaking plan for each plant. After losing hope for the shriveling greenery I sat it to the side to be thrown out.  And Voilà! After two weeks of me giving it space and room to breathe, it started sprouting again. 

Once I allowed it to speak and dictate what was in its best interest, it began to flourish. Initially it felt confusing to me. How could this plant survive after not watering it for two weeks? Was the water killing it? But water is good right? I had to acknowledge how my decision to force this plant into the same routine as others was killing it over time. I had compared it to others and determined the lack of survival of the plant was due to its own wrongdoings rather than my choice not to personalize its care.

Light

Light is a basic necessity for all plant life. It is converted through photosynthesis into food and water to help the plants grow. If there is not enough light, plants may never grow to their full potential because they will not be able to produce enough food or water needed for growth. With this in mind, I witnessed plants that weren’t getting enough light begin to grow in the direction light was coming from. Leaves and stems were visibly stretched towards light for support, almost desperate to feel it.

For humans, light provides physical energy and mental clarity, but most importantly it provides warmth in cold climates (both physically and mentally). Humans need sunlight more than any other type of light in order to feel energetic and productive day-to-day. Without sunlight, humans can easily get sick from lack of Vitamin D or worse; develop depression from lack of serotonin production in the brain causing severe mood swings or an inability to sleep well at night. Have you ever noticed feeling it necessary to feel the sun on your skin? How about mentally yearning for “light” when feeling you are in a dark space? Humans too have a keen internal trigger alerting them that it is necessary to reach towards light for survival. Like plants, we find ourselves becoming unbalanced and stretching for more sunlight, desperate to get what we need. 

Environment

As plants experience growth, space is needed for the roots to expand. At this time, it may be necessary to remove the plant from its original pot and place it into a new one that allows for expansion. If a plant outgrows its original pot and is not removed into a larger one it will become stunted, as it does not have opportunity for movement.  When honest with ourselves, humans  know when they begin to feel so wrapped around that it begins to feel like mental circulation is being cut off. This often yields feelings of being trapped and becoming entangled in your own thoughts as your mental roots are looking for somewhere to go. We begin cutting off what makes us feel alive. 

Overall, inappropriate nurturing is responsible for many plants succumbing to death, parallel to humans. We struggle to provide ourselves with the nutrition, space, and light necessary for growth. Desperation for repair resulting from neglect can often result in overdoing in order to obtain relief.  The relationship between light, water and the sun is important because they all play an equal role in a plant’s growth and development. 

With these revelations, I ask you the following questions:

1. Is your journey personalized or crafted on what works for others?
2. In what ways are others projecting what they believe you need?
3. Are you communicating your needs?
4. What “good” things are actually killing you?
5. What do you require for nourishment?
6. What do you have too much of? Too little?
7. What feels like light upon your skin? What direction are you reaching?
8. Is it time for a new environment? Have you outgrown your pot?

Plants and humans both show an astonishing amount of resiliency when given opportunity. There are indeed times when additional support is needed to bounce back to a thriving state. Remember, just like plants, all humans need love.  If this resonates with you, I invite you to join me over as Liberated Vision. Remember, it’s never too late to sprout.