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Robyn AroutyDog Stories Author: Robyn Arouty
Robyn Arouty is an award-winning portrait and pet photographer in Houston, Texas whose photostories about dogs have gone viral internationally. Language: en Genres: Society & Culture Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Your Plants Are Calling!
Sunday, 28 July, 2024
July 28, 2024My Morning Messages..As you already know, your plants are a sacred reflection of you.What started as an experiment, now provides daily confirmation that you can do hard things.All your life you watched your mother buy & kill plants. One after the other. She would boast about not having a green thumb but continue to bring more plants in her home under the SAME care & supervision & wind up with SAME results.At some point in my young life, I adopted this non-green thumb mentality. So I skipped over even trying to care for plants & mostly opted for dried flowers around the house or nothing.A few years ago I heard that succulents were easier to care for & the simple, minimalistic style had always been very appealing to me.One of my clients gifted me a few cuttings from her succulent collection & said “Just put the pieces in some soil.” “How hard could that be?” I thought.Some survived & some didn’t.In the meantime, I was enjoying seeing the green in my home so I added more plants to the collection.Again, some survived & some didn’t.I was winging their care. At the time, I didn’t associate the care I took of myself to my plant care.It’s very clear to me today, but I was very lost back then. Just trying to survive each day. With a brain that was heavily influenced by other people’s ideas, a shattered heart & skin I didn’t feel safe in.But there were a few plants that hung in there despite less than stellar attention & care.“Girl, we love you exactly as you are. One day you will see your gifts & beauty & your shattered heart will mend & we will be here to witness every bit of it.”“The body & soul are amazing things. We are watching & waiting & cheering you on from our pot places.”“You can do hard things. Developing a green thumb is but a small part of what’s to come for you.” I’m imagining my sweet plants thinking back then.Fast forward about 7 years..This morning I have an interesting new “problem.” Several of my plants have outgrown their pots.At some point, my care for them became very intuitive & I started to notice them thriving but at the time I was just so pleased they were even alive.With plants, you can’t fake it. They basically live or die. It’s definitely different from humans with all the gray area, but I digress..This morning I am googling:“how to know when plant ready to be replanted?”The signs have been there for some time..Roots Roots are growing out of the bottom of the pot, through the drainage holes, or circling around the top or bottom of the pot Soil Soil doesn't drain well, dries out quickly, or has pulled away from the sides of the pot and become hard Size The plant is too big or too small for the pot, or it's grown wider and about twice as tall as the pot Growth The plant stops growing, grows more slowly than usual, or produces small leaves and almost no new growth Leaves The plant drops leaves, or leaves start to lose their normal color, curl, or droop Other The plant is top-heavy and might fall over, or there's a salty crust on the soil surface All of this is happening at various degrees. They were just waiting for me to notice.So now my kitchen table is filled with the project plants that will be receiving new pot homes.Larger, wider, taller pots. All new soil & nutrients. Room to grow & thrive beyond what any of us thought was possible. Well, I mostly mean ME when I say that as a former self-proclaimed non-green thumb person.So if my plants are a sacred reflection of me.. what does this all mean for my life?On this sweet Sunday morning..I GET TO take an inventory of my roots..How much they have grown beyond my dreams is a testament to proper care. When I slowed down my life, nervous system, obligations, thoughts, all the things.. the pure & enormous growth happened quite naturally.I GET TO renew my soil & energy..The last 2 years have been quite the journey of learning & nurturing & loving. Having compassion & acceptance for every part of my being was just never an option on the table. Until it was. And damn it feels really good.I GET TO decide the size of my growth..My 58th birthday is around the corner. This one is hitting different. In many ways, it’s the anniversary of what feels like a brand new life..My gratitude runs deep.As I continue in this glorious season of growth.Of loving my plants & myself.As much as I already love my dogs.
