Lyndsey Let me tell you a weird lesson learned from my plants today.
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Introduction
On todays Moments From a Tired Mom, I want to talk about the weird lesson that I learned from my plants. No, of course they didn’t sit me down for a lesson. It’s odd to think that a plant can teach you something, but I guess that’s part of mindfulness.
So many times we compare ourselves to others. We compare our house, our vehicles, our clothes, our behaviors like trips, events, and how we interact with our kids. The person that will judge you the fastest is yourself. In reality you might have others that are looking up to you!
One thing that causes us to compare ourselves to others is the lack of feeling growth. If we feel like we are standing still, while everyone else is passing us by, we will feel stuck. This is the point where we begin to judge ourselves.
So… where do the plants come in?
Today I was standing on my deck, admiring my container plants. I was tending to the fading blooms and making sure they were looking healthy. I noticed that one of my containers had Cosmos that were absolutely thriving, while the matching container had Cosmos that were hardly growing at all. The flowers didn’t even look the same!
I thought to myself, why would one of my Cosmos be so much different than the other?
I planted them at the same time…
I water them at the same time.
I gave them the same fertilizer.
The containers are the same size.
There are the same amount of plants in each container.
Each plant has the same amount of space to grow.
Both plants have gotten the same amount of care.
So… what could make such a difference in growth? Why would one be thriving, while the other seems like it’s practically dying off? Each plant has the exact same opportunity to grow!
Then I realized, because of the location of my deck, one container was in the sun and the other container was not any more. The amount of sun was only a 45 minute difference!! Out of an entire 24 hour day, 45 minutes of sunlight each day made this much of a difference in one plant versus the other.
One plant had just a slight shift in it’s environment that made it absolutely thrive, while the other was suffering.
How does this compare to us?
We spend so much time comparing our situations, our growth, and ourselves to other people. We judge ourselves for not hitting the standards, growth, or success that other people are achieving.
But… in reality, they just have a slight shift in their environment or situation that is currently allowing them to thrive.
Maybe… all you need is a slight shift in your environment so that you can thrive too!
Now bring this to your kids. Are they struggling in certain areas? Are you getting overly frustrated and feeling burnt out trying to teach them the same lessons over and over. Does it seem like they aren’t catching on, or like they aren’t thriving the way that other kids are?
Maybe… all they need is a slight shift in their environment so that they can thrive too!
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I love this! And you’re right–just a little adjustment (physically, emotionally, mentally, etc.) can make a huge difference to us! Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Visiting from Senior Salon Pit Stop. Pinning!
Thank you! It’s amazing how small adjustments can make a world of difference!
We need to adapt and learn and not think what works for one will work for another. A slight change of plan and action can make a huge difference.
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Absolutely! Thank you for hosting.
Nice! Thanks for hosting, have a great week ahead.
That’s a very good analogy. I’ve got exactly the same problem with 2 dahlias in containers. Although they’re both in south facing sunshine, one gets more shade than the other. It could equally be applied to children. Thanks for linking at Is This Mutton.
Lyndsey, I love this, what a beautiful message with a poignant lesson within.
Visiting today from PoCoLo #3
Thank you very much! I love picking lessons from relatable and every day thoughts. Thank you for visiting!
What a wonderful analogy you made there! I try so hard not to compare myself or my kids or my “things” to anyone else but it can be so hard to break that habit.
Yes it can! It’s almost ingrained into society, the “keeping up with the Jones'”. It’s a very hard habit to break, but it can also lead to such negative thoughts and feelings when you aren’t where you really want to be. I constantly have to remind myself that I have no clue what people went through or what they give up in order to be where they are or have the things they have.
Thank you for these apt observations. I enjoy leaning object lessons from nature and the world around me.
Thanks for sharing this at the Homestead Blog Hop!
Laurie
Thank you for visiting!
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Thanks so much for sharing with Encouraging Hearts and Home this past week! I chose your post as a feature at my blog, http://www.ahomemakersheart.com 🙂 thanks again for linking up and I hope you’ll join the linkup this week again!
Thank you very much for the feature! I plan to join in again!
What an excellent comparison with our lives. I often wonder how siblings who grow up together are often so different when they reach adulthood, it too often comes down to how they are ‘placed’ in the family. Thanks for linking with #pocolo
That’s a very interesting thought. I hadn’t considered that, but it makes a lot of sense. Do you have siblings?