The Jasmine Plant
It's summer and we're seriously feeling the heat. To liven up our balcony a little, we bring home a potted jasmine plant. Throughout summer, I water it everyday without fail; it thanks us by blooming wonderfully. We enjoy the lovely fragrance of jasmine in the evenings.
It's rainy season now, and the rain gods have really taken it upon themselves to display the full magnitude of their power. I notice our potted jasmine isn't doing so well. Could be lack of water? I had stopped watering it as it has been raining quite heavily. I start watering it again, morning and evening. The plant continues to wilt. What am I doing wrong? You're giving it too much water, says the husband. But what does he know? I love the plant, and how could anything I do to it be wrong? I continue watering it even more. In a fortnight, the plant has dried up completely. How can it be?? I was watering it regularly! How can anything dry up when there's so much moisture around it?
I read up some blogs and ask some avid gardeners what I did wrong. They all say the same thing: too much water! It doesn't make sense to me even now. How can a plant wilt when there's more than enough water being provided? You said it, says the husband, you were giving it more water than required.
Don't we often do this in life too? Hold on to something so tight, smother it with so much love that it actually suffocates? When something isn't going according to plan, take a step back, listen to your loved ones. May be, it's the wrong season; may be, it needs more time; may be, it's time to take a break and give it some space. May be it needs less and not more.
It's rainy season now, and the rain gods have really taken it upon themselves to display the full magnitude of their power. I notice our potted jasmine isn't doing so well. Could be lack of water? I had stopped watering it as it has been raining quite heavily. I start watering it again, morning and evening. The plant continues to wilt. What am I doing wrong? You're giving it too much water, says the husband. But what does he know? I love the plant, and how could anything I do to it be wrong? I continue watering it even more. In a fortnight, the plant has dried up completely. How can it be?? I was watering it regularly! How can anything dry up when there's so much moisture around it?
I read up some blogs and ask some avid gardeners what I did wrong. They all say the same thing: too much water! It doesn't make sense to me even now. How can a plant wilt when there's more than enough water being provided? You said it, says the husband, you were giving it more water than required.
Don't we often do this in life too? Hold on to something so tight, smother it with so much love that it actually suffocates? When something isn't going according to plan, take a step back, listen to your loved ones. May be, it's the wrong season; may be, it needs more time; may be, it's time to take a break and give it some space. May be it needs less and not more.
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