In a world where haste has become the norm, working with plants can feel like a breath of fresh air. While we want things to move faster and faster, plants quietly stick to their own rhythms. They grow slowly, bloom when it suits them and take seasonal rest without caring about our busy schedules. Those who really focus on plants discover that they are not only green, but also mirrors. They show us what it means to experience time differently. Not in days or weeks, but in months and sometimes years.
Growing with attention
A plant doesn't grow on command. No matter how much care you put into it, some things just take time. The process is slow, but therefore intense. Every development, no matter how small, takes on meaning. A new leaf after weeks of silence. A root tip slowly extending. The first signs of a flower bud, which may not open until months later. Instead of being disappointed by what is not there yet, you learn to appreciate what is happening now. Those who live with plants look at progress differently. Less as something that needs to happen quickly, and more as something that really needs to grow.
The power of rest
When the seasons change, many plants retreat. They drop leaves, stop growing and even seem to decline. Yet this is not a loss. This rest is necessary for plants to bloom again later. In our society, we often see downtime as something negative, as if something always has to happen to be of value. Plants show that rest is an indispensable part of any process. Not everything always has to be visible. What happens below the surface counts just as much.
Slowing down as an attitude to life
Those who learn to live with the pace of plants discover how liberating it is not always to want to speed everything up. By watching the slow development of a plant, you imperceptibly change your own perspective as well. You become less impatient, less focused on immediate results. You learn to wait without restlessness. Plants are not concerned with being faster, more efficient or more. They are concerned with being just in time for their own rhythms. And that is perhaps the most beautiful lesson they teach us.
An eye for detail
By working with plants, you develop a sharper eye. You start paying attention to subtle changes. A slight discoloration of a leaf, a new growth sprout, a small crack in a flower. What you used to pass by carelessly, you now see meaning. This attention works its way into your daily life. You start to look more consciously, think more calmly, and take more time for things that matter. Plants force you to live more slowly, and precisely because of this you see more.
A plea for slowness
Plants do not adhere to our schedules. They grow as it suits them and bloom when conditions are right. Sometimes that is after weeks of waiting, sometimes after years. This slowness is not frustrating, but rather healing. Instead of always having to keep going, plants allow you to experience that there is also power in waiting, in doing nothing, in simply being.
Patience is not a luxury, nor is it a hobby for people with a lot of free time. It is a necessary way of life if you want to stay in touch with what really matters. Plants teach you that some things don't have to be faster, and that slower living sometimes actually brings you closer to yourself.
