Roots

A plant in a large base separated my cube from my neighbor. The greenery was lovely, but occasionally, the plant fell victim to our clumsiness. Over time, several of us had paper coffee cups with fallen branches.

The stems rapidly developed roots with only access to water and fluorescent lights. I had expected the broken limbs to die, just more slowly, since we gave them water. Instead, they developed a robust root system. While the roots sprouted, the plant above the water only grew a little.

Eventually, I brought it home and moved it to a small pot with soil. Once in the dirt, it developed rapidly. The well-established root system helped the plant generate new leaves. Additional stems sprouted. The growth maxed out after a few weeks, but again, I was impressed at what this broken branch had become. I tended to it for several years, and it stayed hearty year-round.

A few years ago, I wanted a new pot. I picked a color and asked Amazon to send it. Opening the box, I knew I had underestimated the size. It was far too big for this little plant. I remained committed to the new pot. I added extra dirt and packed the little plant into this far-too-big pot.

After a few weeks, it was a completely different plant. Stalks grew out of the soil. The branches grew taller. The number of leaves multiplied. Again, I was astonished at how healthy and big this plant grew.

I had decided what the plant was capable of. I constrained its ability to be anything else. With room to grow, it did. If I hadn’t given it room, it would have never shown me what it was capable of. I would have continued to assume I was right about its limits.

Is my view limited to a prior experience? Am I developing my roots? Have I given us room to grow?

Be curious, be kind, be whole, do good things.