Why I need houseplants.

...and maybe you do, too!

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It's hard to not notice the rise of Millennials obsessing over plants.

As someone who as always loved plants, this trend serves me well,  and it really couldn't have picked up at a more perfect time. I am absolutely thrilled to see many shops stocking more unusual foliage.

With still being in active MS-relapse recovery, and being even more socially isolated due to the COVID-19 pandemic... The company of my healthy and thriving little jungle has been keeping me sane. In caring for increasingly more dramatic plants, I have been learning a lot about patience and understanding.

There are dormant growth times even for the healthiest of plants. We can only expect so much of them, just as we can only expect so much of ourselves.

When I came home from the hospital in August, I was losing my mind while trying to figure out how to live comfortably while being home full-time. My mind was so scrambled. These days, I am so limited by mental fatigue that it can be hard to easily feel happy. I was slipping into a brutal depression as I struggled with finding my footing.

Usually I'm the type of person that likes to be incredibly regimented. Maintaining a schedule and feeling collected helps me feel worthwhile, and gives purpose to every hour of the day.

During nursing school in 2012 I would strictly abide by a schedule that had a set time for everything. I wrote in every single thing I did, from class times and gym sessions, to bathroom breaks.

When I met my boyfriend Nathan back then, he was surprised when 9pm came and I would say, "I'm sorry but you have to leave now. It's bedtime. Goodnight!" I would send him home because lights were out by 9:30pm, so I could be well-rested and early for school the next day. Class started at 7:30am, but I considered myself late if I arrived a moment past 7:00am. This is what I affectionately coined "suffering from chronic punctuality".

What does any of that have to do with plants?

Caring for plants allows me to take the obsessive compulsive focus off of my own problematic health and feelings of being lost in life. As I've figured out particular schedules for watering, rotating and re-potting my plant family, many parallels have been drawn.

Most plants just require the basics when it comes to care, just like most people. Some plants are hardy and survive in unlikely circumstances (we've all seen photos of flowers growing from cracks in the sidewalk). Others will flop over and perish if they get a touch too much sun, or miss a drink of water (I'm looking at you, Peace Lily).

Human beings also require all different care, at all different stages. I'm trying to think of the current social-distancing situation as the world going temporarily dormant, to save up energy to thrive again. Right now it is my number one priority to rest and get my brain into better working order, just as it is society's responsibility to stay home and flatten the curve.

Lessons learned?
"A new leaf grows; another one goes."

Don't get stuck on lost time or spent energy. We will all get through this if we stay committed to doing our part.

It is so important to be able to take breaks from ourselves and from the worrying. We cannot possibly relax enough to rest, if constantly hyper-focused on everything that is wrong.

Plant care rewards me with incredible visual stimulation, as I direct time and focus to nourishing life around me, and have faith that it will thrive.

Feeling responsible for the growth we get to watch unfold thanks to our devoted patience and all the right care- That's the ultimate reward.

It is a remarkable time to be alive.
Now take care of yourself, and STAY HOME.

Relax.
Breath.
Have faith.
Enjoy the process.