My little garden
My little garden has always been a source of great joy and learning for me. I grew it literally from scratch and planted various fruits and flowers, keeping in mind not to include massive trees that would ruin the foundations one day. All these learnings from my father and my previous abode which had basin floors thanks to jack and mango tree roots. My little garden is not a show piece. But it’s my effort. And gives me great joy when I just stroll through it.
One of the things I have learned while growing this garden is that plants live and die. Considering the immense effort I have put to keep them alive, their death has been of great despair to me until a few incidents which showed me that life triumphs when there is nothing and that life must go on. Once was when two plants with bright pink tufts decided to die on me. I was distraught coz I couldn’t understand why they died when I had given them all they needed (or so I thought). I was pleasantly surprised when a few days later, little plants sprouted out of the dying mother plant’s seeds. And this is the cycle of the plant. I have lived to see about 5 or 6 such cycles. And it continues. This taught me that life regenerates and that in death there can be life too.
Second was when I planted a Prana jeevi plant. The thing grew like a giant flower, bore flowers and fruits and then to my dismay I discovered that termites had attacked it. This was actually the first red alert I got that there were termites in our house. Thankfully I was able to nip them in the bud and now we’re termite free. But my poor Prana Jeevi plant boxed on for a few more months and eventually died. The damage done to its roots and trunk by the termites was too great. So I had to remove it. It was sad but the plant, I believe, served its purpose. I have now planted a biling tree there. Hopefully it’ll not meet the same fate.
I bought two grape vines to supplement my one thriving vine. Neither of the two really grew and snuffed out after a few months. Only the black twigs poking out of the soil and I couldn’t be bothered pulling them out. Just kept watering them along with the other plants. This morning, while watering that area I was pleasantly surprised to see two leaves poking out of one of the twigs in the grass. The plant was still alive! I had lost all hope but the plant clearly wasn’t all gone. Hopefully it’ll grow.
Each of these things have been a lesson in life for me. I have been pleasantly surprised when I had given up all hope. And I have learned the value of letting go and allowing new things to come in. I guess life offers us lessons in many places, if we only look and learn when it does.
