Signs of Life

Nature has several lessons to teach me. Whenever I go to my plants with a question, there is almost always an answer waiting. It's like they read my mind and prepare to make me happy. 

The end of December to end of February was a very difficult time for me. I was struggling with some personal issues and nothing seemed too promising on the job front either. There were a lot of things I had invested my time, energy and resources in but nothing really seemed to pick up. ATC had slowed down and no ideas to revive it were convincing enough. Project and job offers came in plenty but none of them really caught my attention. My business was moving so slow that we could think it was almost shutting down even before it had started. There was a lull. 

At the same time, I sowed some seeds from my seed box, reluctantly - marigold, calendula, sunflower, carnation, bhindi, tomato, and even a fruit that we had in Sri Lanka- Nelli. I sowed jowar, basil and periwinkle. These were seeds I was holding on to for months. Gerbera, after the first blossom didn't give me a single flower. Every bud came with promise but died before even a little progress was made. I wondered if it made sense to uproot the plant and let go off it. The endless wait was disappointing. 

Gerbera Daisy bud

I waited for time to change and seasons do, indeed, change. Early March brought in Spring and all the seeds that I had forgotten had lifted their heads. Plants that had slowed down have new shoots. The gerbera has a new promising bud. Every morning is spent looking for something new in the pots and guessing which plant it might be. 

Golden sunlight

Baby sunflower. Apparently, these grow really tall. Can't wait!

Life changed too. I got a job offer- one that I feel excited about. My current job is looking solid too. We have come up with a wonderful idea to revive ATC and my business has been selected by an incubator. Just being selected has pushed me to invest some more money and work harder on it. New designs, new plans and the hope of success. The tiny little plants will one day grow, blossom and bear fruits. 

Times change. Wait, agonise, believe some more. And no matter how hard it might be to see the signs of life, it will be there- working underground, curled up inside a stem, a flower within a bud. Teaching you every single time that a slow difficult life does not mean lifeless at all.