Nothing exciting, really. It was in 2017 (my last year in Singapore), it happened to be in one of the many unsung plant nurseries in Singapore. I was on a field trip with my Kinder kids and I got my first potted plant - lemongrass. I expected it to not survive under my care but it thrived for months! Fast-forward to my life in Korat, 2 months after I moved, I bought several potted plants for my first (rental) apartment. Fast-forward again to today, I still have those plants and more, happily growing and thriving! People pointed out i have a green thumb, I don't know about that but I am blown away by how well I can keep plants alive!
Being a plant mom for, I'd say, 2 years now, makes you learn as your plants grow. You learn what works and what doesn't. If you're watering too much, or too little. I didn't just learn those, I also learned life lessons taking care of plants:
Patience - Oh gosh, I am probably one of the impatient ones. Having plants force you to be patient. You have to wait for roots to grow, leaves to uncurl, flowers to bloom or stems to grow.
Routine - Having a routine is one of my weak points. I always work on having one and it goes well in few days or weeks and then I'm back to not having one. Having plants make you want to stick to your schedule. Now, Sundays are my re-potting/propagating day. I look forward to weekends so I can do plant errands.
And the most relatable and important lesson I've learned is
Resilience - Plants never fail to amaze me. I used to think that when plants grow dry and brown - they're good as dead. Wrong! Without really knowing what I was doing, I tried reviving a wilting plant and few days later, it was growing like new. That's when I learned all about propagation. Cut out a few dry ones, work on the nodes, grow and strengthen roots and life goes on. And just like plants, we are stronger than we think. Plants don't die out of insecurity and think "OMG, I have dried leaves I'm not pretty."
Grow without the validation of others. Grow stronger. And with the right care and environment, just like plants, you will thrive and grow with value and purpose.
