appreciation, sunshine, water and love
This is a photo update to my march post, “Rescuing plants, rescuing myself.”
My rescued hydrangea continues to brighten my days and my patio and the anthurium continues to taunt my cat, Callie. I’ll soon be repotting both and I’m hoping the anthurium will be thrilled with its new pot, and new spot, hanging from the ceiling, instead of hanging from from the bedroom closet door. 
I found the abandoned plants about two months ago now, next to a trash dumpster in my apartment complex. One indoor plant, one outdoor. They were pretty bedraggled, but someone had tended to them at one time. Whoever left them there could have tossed them in the trash, but they cared enough to place them in a visible spot where they might be rescued. The outdoor plant was just bare, dried out looking twigs with some green twine wrapped around them, tied to some bamboo sticks, evidently to train the branches upward. The indoor plant had maybe six or seven leaves, three of which were bruised, yellowing and about to fall off. The latter was in a leaky plastic pot, inside a Cool Whip tub. From the tags that were still stuck inside the pots, I learned the outdoor plant is a hydrangea, the indoor plant, an anthurium.
I didn’t yet have any plants in my girl cave as Callie (cat) just loves to chew on anything green that is within her reach. Unfortunately, in this apartment, almost anything is within her reach if she makes up her mind to get it. Still, I knew I wanted plants and, although I hadn’t figured out how I would do it, I made the quick decision to adopt these two. They needed some plant love and I had some to give.
I don’t have a green thumb, per se. But I do have a history, from office settings years ago, of rescuing plants that coworkers had all but killed off, and bringing them back to life. I wasn’t familiar with either one of these plants so I tried to read the tags, but the tags were water logged and I was in the midst of the chaos of moving in. I decided I’d “wing it” and believe in the best outcome. I told the plants that as I put the hydrangea outside on the porch. There was no spot to put the indoor plant where Callie couldn’t attack it admire it, so I rigged a plastic grocery store bag around the Cool Whip tub, wrapped it around a hanger and hung all of the above on an over-the-door hook on my bedroom closet. It’s near a window and far enough from any furniture that Callie can’t reach it, no matter how she stretches. It may not be pretty, but it’s functional.
Faith, a little appreciation, some sunshine, a little water… and love. Two months later, I have two wonderful plants that cheer me just looking at them.
I started reflecting on this successful rescue story, and I’ve decided I need to do the same process with myself. I wasn’t left by a dumpster, but without a doubt, I’ve had moments of hopelessness of late. The strain and daily pressures of my situation have been wearing me down. In short, I have become completely bedragged. I’ve avoided mirrors lately, but I don’t need a mirror to tell me this, I have only to replay the look on the face of the acquaintance I ran into at the grocery store yesterday.
It’s crisis time. I must be brave enough to put the oxygen mask on myself, first. I need to truly follow the above prescription on myself : Belief in the best outcome…with regular applications of appreciation, some sunshine, decent nourishment…and love.
