About eighteen months ago, I bought a potted plant from a company called EasyPlant. What makes an EasyPlant easy is a hidden water reservoir in the side of the pot. The reservoir water seeps into the bottom layer of soil, directly to the roots.
This system allows plant owners like me to be a little more hands off, because I only have to fill the reservoir once a month, and the plant does the work at its own pace, grabbing however much water it needs to stay alive and grow.
As a very subpar plant caregiver, I can tell you this works! This guy arrived a little lackluster out of the box. But now he is thriving! In my house, with my lackluster skills, that's nothing short of a miracle.
There are a few big lessons in this little plant.
Water your roots.
So often we only water our leaves, caring for the parts that people see, the parts the world measures and deems valuable. Things like appearance and achievements.
We water our roots when we tend to the deepest parts of ourselves, the parts that carry and hold us, the parts that matter. Things like faith and family.
When we only water our leaves, so much of that water bounces off and onto the ground. But when we give to our roots, those roots soak up every drop.
Grab what you need, not more.
It is human nature to stockpile. We amass things and resources out of fear that one day, we might not have enough. We take more than we need all the time, and not just with stuff. We saturate our minds with information at such an overwhelming pace and quantity, forgetting our minds aren’t designed for constant intake. We are overloaded and burdened with excess.
But what if we gather only enough for today? We take what we need, not what we want, not what we think we might need tomorrow, and the rest. For another day, for another person. We stop doom scrolling, over scheduling, online shopping, binge watching, saying yes when we really want to say no.
Anything more than enough for today is like the water that ends up on the ground, wasted and unnecessary.
But don’t forget the reservoir.
This doesn't mean we shouldn’t think about the future. There's a difference between accumulating out of fear and wise planning for the droughts.
There will be days and seasons when we need to draw upon reserves. It's important to build savings, boundaries, lasting relationships, forward-thinking health routines, spiritual practices, and mental health protections. That's the best kind of reservoir for things get dry. Those are the things that replenish the deep soil.
This little plant of mine might not look like much, but it's really quite profound.
Easy doesn't mean we care less, it means we care differently. We tend to what actually nourishes and sustains our roots, we rethink what enough really means, and we remember to pour into our own little hidden wells for the days when we need an extra bucket.
There’s a big difference between staying alive and living. Easy does it.
This speaks straight to my heart. Thank you.