“We are here on this earth for 2 reasons- Fun and Education”- says Richard in his book "Illusions". "Illusions” and “Jonathan Livingston Seagull” by Richard Bach are the books I love very much. I was so thrilled with this thought when I first read it that I started a game of finding either fun or education in every situation. It is very fascinating when I get both.

 7 years ago, I was very upset by the behavior of this small shrub in the atrium when we moved in to our present house. Nothing seemed to work- neither fertilizer, nor regular watering, nor pruning, nor caring, nor touching, nor talking… I would spend some time during the week trying to establish some connection with this quiet plant who, I thought, had forgotten its true nature. It was not dying, and it was not thriving either. It definitely appeared to be a flowering shrub based on where it was planted and the looks of its foliage. The leaves dropped off in about 2 weeks, but its weak trunk still exhibited life, so I didn’t gather courage to uproot it.

3 years went by. I kept waiting. In the meantime I stopped paying attention to it and even forgot. Small leaves appeared proving that it’s alive, and then dropped off after some time.

Though I didn’t realize it, I might have had this subconscious thought that it “should” flower because I was taking good care of it. Though I don’t remember inspecting and challenging my thought process, in retrospect, I feel ashamed of my too egotistical thoughts (though subconscious) related to its flowering and survival.

Who was I to think that I was taking good care of it? Who was I to believe that the factors associated with its flowering were only linked to “my caring”?

After 3 years, one day I noticed that small leaves appeared. This time they didn’t fall off and after 2 weeks buds announced their presence and they bloomed into tiny pink flowers! The plant finally bloomed! It bloomed when I least expected it. It bloomed when I had given up all the hopes and even stopped caring for it.

The plant was just waiting there for all these years. It was waiting for the right blend of climatic conditions and resources, waiting for my ego to wither away, waiting to prove to me that it was not just me, but so many other conditions and factors that contributed to its blooming. It was waiting to teach me the most humble lesson I learnt in my life. Its purpose was not to behave just as a plant but also to educate as a philosopher.

The plant still stands. Not in the atrium, but in the backyard. I am still exploring the ways that might suit it and so replanted it in the backyard. It has taught me in its unique way that though many things are not under my control, something could definitely be influenced by my thoughts and actions.

It had bloomed last summer in the new location and I am eagerly waiting to see what it does this year! If it blooms I will have fun and if it doesn’t, I will have more education.