Your Strength and Support, It Matters…

Two months ago, my office shifted to a new location. What was earlier a 5-minute commute is now a 25-minute drive. This means I have time to think, read or listen during that journey. We all have a tendency to keep ourselves busy. Not that it is a bad thing to do. I feel, sometimes, we just pretend to be busy, filling up our time with some sort of activity that doesn’t really add up to a meaningful living except that we feel good about ourselves for utilizing the moment.

I began to use my travel time by listening to music, then switched to random talks that would appear on my YouTube feed. This included a range of topics: productivity hacks, mindfulness techniques, spiritual discourses. On days I felt groggy, I would feel a little better after listening to those conversations, but that was that.

The days went by…travel, reach office, work until 6, come back home and do my chores.

And then one fine day…when I chose to simply sit and watch the world from the window of my cab.

I saw a tree blossoming with so many pink flowers! Such a happy tree it was. It has always been there on my route. Yet I noticed it for the first time.
So often, we fail to see the ordinary events of our lives and tend to pass by them without taking any special notice; like a sapling fighting with all her might and growing through the cracks of a concrete wall, children finding joy in licking up every bit of the melting ice-cream, giggling heartily.

On a closer look, what looked like a flowering tree was actually a Bougainvillea plant hugging a tree next to it. When I looked at them, it reminded me of the book that I am currently reading: A Hidden Life of Trees so beautifully written by a German forester Peter Wohlleben. That trees are as social as human beings, they understand feelings and support one another. I feel, this bougainvillea too must be nourished and cared for by the tree it has latched onto.

The plant kingdom is no different from the human lives, after all.

When we are cared for and nurtured by our loved ones, we can overcome our despair, we take better and confident decisions. We tend to smile more and worry less about our future. A lot of times, the root cause of our mental agony and physical diseases lies in the lack of love and support of people who mean so dear to us.

Nobody is strong alone. We are each other’s strong.

Just like that tree who patiently allowed this sweet Bougainvillea to fill up the space, cling to it and hug tightly, this plant could have never sprung up so tall and never bloomed so cheerfully. In return, the tree has got a lifetime of companionship.

Now, go back home. Sit with your loved one. Listen to their complaints and agonies with patience. Fill them with hope, hugs, and love. In no time, you will find them glowing like the sun.