Of all the important things happening in the world today I want to talk about my plant, more specifically my amaryllis. You see, my amaryllis is very similar to people and so maybe there is a lesson in this.
My amaryllis is beginning to bloom. It’s beginning to open up and look beautiful. When all four flowers open at the same time it’s going to look exquisite. Every year I get one and each year I can’t help but marvel how it’s possible that something so tall and delicate looking can support such massive beauty. When friends and family see it they greatly admire how lovely it looks and yet no one ever asks how did it get to look like that, what was involved.
So let me tell you. It requires a lot!
It was potted up in December and for a number of weeks it lived in the dark in my garage. A few times I’d peek inside to check on it and my reward was… well, nothing, I could see nothing. No shoots, no growth, no evidence of life or progress. And yet the progress was all under the soil. The growth was there, it was happening daily and yet my eyes couldn’t see it. Lesson 1, just because you can’t see it, just because it isn’t tangible for you to touch doesn’t mean progress and growth isn’t happening. Maybe it’s occurring under the surface, on the inside.
Eventually after what felt like months but was more like weeks I was able to witness it was alive and well. Hooray! At this point it gets moved inside and positioned next to my living room window ledge.
Every few days I turn it 180 degrees so it doesn’t lean towards the light. I want it to grow straight so it’s eventually able to support the exquisite, large, heavy flowers. If I forget the plant reminds me by leaning at what looks like an impossible angle. The plant is doing what is best for its survival, it’s trying to flourish and to do that it’s following the light. Every so often it needs to be watered. Too much water and I kill it. Too little water and I kill it. It is a balance, like everything in life. The plant will give signs it’s needs are not being met. At no point do I blame the plant for needing light or water. At no point do I blame it for wilting or leaning because its needs aren’t being met. Even when all its needs are met and the plant is truly flourishing it can grow so tall it can no longer support its own weight and needs a stick to support it, to ground it.
Lesson 2, if people’s needs in life aren’t met they will begin to wilt and lean until they eventually topple over. Society has a habit of blaming the person for wilting and leaning. People have a tendency of focusing on someone’s flaws or areas not up to perfection. Instead, we could be asking what does this person need to stand tall, what support or help? What form of stick do they need so they can support themselves? Its not our role in life to save people, however, we can help them to save themselves.
Last week I looked at my amaryllis which consisted of a ridiculously long stalk and two smaller stalks and no flowers and thought “why aren’t you ready to flower yet?” I didn’t get an answer but the truth is, it simply wasn’t ready yet, the variables weren’t ready for my desired outcome. Yesterday, the first flower started to open. I already know its going to be so beautiful it will make me smile on the inside and out. I just have to wait. I just have to be patient. When it has everything it needs it will flourish.
I’ve found this to be true of my clients. When they learn to identify what their needs are, which aren’t bring met and how they can be met, they flourish. This goes for all aspects of life. We flourish when we are ready but in the background there is a lot of hard work going on. This often isn’t witnessed so people don’t recognise or understand its happening but just because you didn’t hear the tree fall in the forest doesn’t mean it fell silently. Stop judging people’s progress by what you consider the end result to be, the present moment. This is a single moment during the process and for them maybe it’s the early stages, the stages in the garage where growth and development can’t be seen. Instead of judging what can be seen you could ask yourself or them what do they need to help support themselves more easily. You don’t need to do it for them, help them do it for themselves.
When my amaryllis finally blooms it will be my plants magnificent accomplishment. Yes I assisted in helping it get what it required but all the growing, developing and success is on the plant. Just like with people.
And so it blooms – after taking over three months! Well worth it in every way.