My Thumb Went From Brown to Slightly Less Brown
Let’s be honest, my history with plants was less than stellar. I’m talking Sahara Desert levels of plant homicide. So naturally, when my well-intentioned friend gifted me a perfectly healthy ZZ plant, I accepted with a mix of gratitude and terror. I mean, this little green guy was doomed, right?
But something unexpected happened. Maybe it was the fear of becoming a plant-murdering monster, or maybe it was the plant’s sheer will to live, but I actually managed to keep it alive. And not just alive – thriving! It was then I realized this plant was about to teach me a thing or two about life, way beyond the difference between “well-drained soil” and “drowning the poor thing.”
For months, my ZZ plant seemed content to just… exist. I’d stare at it, willing it to sprout a new leaf, convinced I was doing something wrong. But then, just as I was about to give up hope, a tiny green nub would appear. The lesson? Sometimes the most rewarding things in life take time, patience, and a whole lot of not-so-subtle pressure. (Okay, maybe I did whisper encouragements to the plant on occasion. Don’t judge.)
Lesson #2: Embrace the Unexpected (and the Wonky)
Here’s the thing about plants: they don’t care about your carefully curated aesthetic. They grow in whatever direction they please, even if it means developing a dramatic lean or sprouting a leaf at a questionable angle.
My ZZ plant, in all its glory, is a testament to this. It has leaves facing every direction, a couple of stems that seem to defy gravity, and an overall look that screams, “I do what I want!” And you know what? It’s perfect. It’s a beautiful reminder that life, like a houseplant, rarely goes according to plan, and that’s okay. Embrace the unexpected, the wonky, the perfectly imperfect, because that’s where the real beauty lies.