Re-Planted

Life demonstrated by a Mammy Croton plant

Have you really looked at the leaves of a Croton plant? I purchased a small potted plant last spring to put on the lanai. Honestly, I was not concerned with the name or purpose of the plant at the time I bought it. I just wanted it because it was weirdly specked with colors in patterned ways that I had not seen before.

The plant grew over the summer and slowly the new green, tongue-shaped leaves, just a few inches in length, began to turn to deep shades of red, orange, and yellow. The Croton plant consists of dozens of leaves that are uniquely colored and beautifully designed. The leaves, after extending a few more inches begin to curl and twist like ribbons on a present box. It is fascinating how these changes occurred as the plant matures.

I thought about this plant and how it resembles us, humans, as we grow. We start small and simple as young babies and toddlers, represented by the short green leaves. Then we begin to develop our own personalities with unique characteristics, represented by the subtle changes of colors from the simple green. We then enter adulthood which is represented by the curled leaves which indicates we are well-rounded in life with more knowledge and experiences. This would be known as the peak of our lives when we have been surrounded by people that teach and nurture thus enhancing our attributes to continue to guide us to lead a healthy life.

Then the leaves undertake a stage of looking tattered and worn fading into a dull yellow-brownish color. A few of the leaves have clusters of black representing hardships and scars that life gives us along the way. This generation of leaves has reached its full potential and is time to die to make way for a new crop of small young leaves. Thus, the circle of life.

The outcome of life, for the plant and for us, is determined by the environmental factors surrounding us. Let’s consider what a healthy plant needs to survive: water, sunlight, and room to grow. A plant that is taken care of with gentle hands will have the opportunity to become healthy inside and outside living out quality years.

We have the same simple needs. Yet, life is not simple. Life is a combination of limits, struggles, and situations demanding adaptability. When life gets a little tough, we look to others for guidance (the sunlight), nourishment (the water), and freedom to be ourselves (the room). However, unfavorable conditions along the journey of life stunt proper growth and eventually will lead to premature death.

A plant that has outgrown its pot gets suffocated. The roots that are normally buried below the dirt now have been forced to surface above the dirt strangling its own supporting stem. The suffocation changes the health of the plant. It needs to be re-potted and re-planted in an area that will let them grow. In some cases, if the plant is housed within a thin-skinned container, the root systems breakthrough frantically reaching for a new foundation.

We humans get into the same stage of suffocation. We may be in a relationship or a job position that does not allow us to stretch and be what we are divinely created to be. We are being smothered by an aggressive person afraid that we may show our sunshine and be the light someone else needs. We are being deprived of the oxygen needed to survive.

When we feel this, we have the urge to break through, but we are stuck in a small spot shoved in the dark corner of the room. What can we do? Why can’t we move? How did we let this happen? When will our situation change? Where can we go?

There is no perfect answer to any one of those questions. Each person must observe their environment, admit that there is a problem and make a choice to change the situation. Re-plant yourself to stay strong and healthy. The changes that occur as you mature will be fascinating.