I learn a lot about life from my orchids. It may seem like they're just stationary objects that are gracing my balcony, but they're more than that. They've taught me many things during the seven years that I've grown them, and I continue to learn from them.
I'll admit that at first, I didn't think highly of orchids. I used to be among the people that thought they were fussy, temperamental plants that only the plant expert could grow. I also thought of them as being something of a luxury, because they were so expensive. My dendrobium changed that. When I bought it, it was a sickly, half-off plant that I didn't think too much of. I bought it thinking it wouldn't do well; I had the "what the heck" mentality and figured it would perish because it was already in decline. I didn't know too much about orchids at the time, mind you, so the only clues I had about its culture were on a care card that was attached to the plant. I followed the instructions on the card, and put the plant in a sunny spot in my room. It wasn't a month before the plant began to bloom with gusto, almost as if to thank me for rescuing it. I couldn't help but be amazed at the flowers, which lasted about six months before fading. I was just as surprised when the plant rebloomed and grew the following year. The plant continues to grow and bloom to this day, becoming stronger and more vibrant with every passing year. It reinforced the old adage about not judging a book by its cover, and taught me that things are not as bad as they seem, no matter how bad they may look.
Recently, my plants taught me another lesson during a wind storm. This time, they taught me about teamwork.
I had my plants arranged such that there was a considerable distance between them. The wind wasn't slow to knock them all over, and I was frustrated when I'd put them back up only to have the wind knock them over again. I didn't have any way to hold them upright, and I had no choice but to bring them in so they wouldn't roll off my balcony. I couldn't figure out how to keep them upright in the strong wind until I noticed that two of my plants were keeping each other from flopping on my countertop. It turns out that the only way they could stand up was if they supported one another. I took them outside and placed them close to each other, leaf to leaf and pot to pot. When I finally put them close to each other, the wind could not knock them over, no matter how strong it blew. The orchids braved the heavy wind in stride. In a way they were telling me, "See? We can't do it alone. We need each other."
Of course, they've taught me a lot more than this about life. But instead of sitting here and posting every story from the last seven years, I'll say this. Pay attention to your plants. They might be telling you something that you might not realize they're telling you.
Life's lessons from Orchids
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