What a Plant Shop Taught Me About Growth

I’m Baaaaackkkkkkk!

Oceanside, California is one of my favorite places to go with my girls. It’s where I went to college, and I’ve been taking them there since they were little. It feels familiar, but always a little different…like it keeps evolving.

But this isn’t about Oceanside.
It’s about something that happened in Oceanside.

Come closer.

There used to be a plant shop there; Landmark Plant Company (RIP). One day we stopped in, and I was in awe. The pothos plants? Ugh! Full! Vibrant! Thriving!

Now, I love plants and I can keep them alive…
But this? This was different.

So I asked the vibe-y associate, “What’s your secret?”

And she so brilliantly said: “The secret is that you can’t feed something before it’s hungry. You have to make it work…let it become what it’s meant to be.”

My mind became the emoji with the exploding head. Wait? Am I feeding my plants too much water? Or wait a second…Are we, humans, like the plants?

Maybe the reason we’re not growing is because maybe we are overfed.

Overfed with comfort.
Overfed with ease.
Overfed with distraction.

Are we choosing comfort over growth and calling it something else?
Are we staying busy instead of stretching?

Think about it:

Bad day? Scroll.
Bored? Netflix.
Conflict? Diagnose them.
Lonely? Swipe up.

You see it, right?

None of these things are bad (like too much water for a plant), In fact, they can even look productive (oh look at me watering my plant all the time)
But sometimes…they’re just distractions dressed up as coping.

For me? It’s staying busy. Overworking. Overpacking my schedule so by the time I get home, I’m “too tired” to do what actually matters.

Not stuck, just…avoiding the harder stuff

Avoiding growth in a really well-decorated way.

Because the truth is, I know I am meant to be a thriving, vibrant, bushy plant, but I think I may be overfed with “comfort”

And maybe, just like that plant, we’re not meant to be overfed.

We’re meant to reach and be who we are really meant to be.