How a Houseplant Taught Me Hope

It's August of 2022, me and 7 friends have just moved into our new house. I use the term “new” lightly because the place was a wreck.

The landlord had not cleaned before we moved in. So we were left with moldy food in the fridges, more dust than an abandoned museum and and smell that sends shivers down my spine even now. It's safe to stay that new house buzz was short lived but we carried on.

Between mine and my friends room there was a spare box like space which we had big plans for. We brought rugs, a TV, xbox and all the accessories to make the space a den for all sorts of debauchery. Among the items were a few house plants.

My friend ended up moving out no more than a month later and what initially was going to be a room full of laughter, relaxation and good times seemed empty. It turned into my laundry room.

5 weeks went by before I noticed the plants he'd placed in there again. One big dangly plant which had completely dried up and had moved onto plant heaven. And one smaller plant in a gold pot. It was shriveled and dried up, the shoots interlocking as if it was straight out of a horror movie. After weeks of not being watered and in a hot dry room I presumed it was gone for good but decided to try bring it back to life.

I chopped the stems down close to the soil and gave it some well needed water. Imagining what that first taste of sweet sweet nectar must have felt like after being left for dead, before returning to whatever I was doing. As the weeks past I kept up the watering with no sign of change. Until one day I saw some a new stems beginning to sprout. To say I was ecstatic that the plant survived is an understatement. I can only imagine it to be a similar sensation to when a surgeon operates and is successful.

Overtime the plant kept growing, what a proud plant parent I was. Fast forward 4 months and I'd made the decision to move back home. Both myself and the plant were thriving. It became large, healthy and a deep green colour.

It began to lean under its bulk, which was an easy fix. Until one fateful day, I came back home from work to find it collapsed. Completely snapped from its roots, almost as if it didn’t have any. We'd been on a journey and it felt like the end of the road. But if there's one thing i'd learned from this endeavour it was not to give up without a fight.

So again, I chopped down it's vibrant greenery and repotted with some fresh soil. And so, the waiting game commenced.

After 2 weeks the plant begun to show signs of life, this boy is a fighter and lives to see another day!

So what did this simple house plant teach me about hope?

No matter how bad things seem, no matter what you're dealing with. You could be on the verge of death, with noone to take care of you, noone to help you when you need it most. But with a little hope the tide can change and so with it, life.

Twice in the space of 6 months this plant seemed to be out for the count, but with some care, patience and hope it bounced back from the brink of death.

You can lose everything, and in the case of this plant, it did. Losing its owner, a supply to water, its stems and eventually, its roots. And still, with hope it resurrected.

In Viktor Frankl’s man search for meaning, he among many other concentration campers had everything stripped away from them. But the only element which could not be stripped from frankl was his Hope. And that ultimately played a big factor in his survival.

A belief that things can be better provides the space for optimism in treacherous times. A belief that things can be better can allow us to see opportunities to make things better.

Hope is a crucial ingredient to life, without hope what do we have?

We all experience hardship, that is part of life. Our response to that hardship determined how much we suffer.

If we cannot imagine a better future, there won't be one.

Accepting what is:

Acceptance is not the denial of positive change and hope is not a denial of what is.

It is the resistance to what is which can cause more suffering. Acceptance involves embracing uncertainty and challenge whilst hope is a belief that you are able to navigate the situation.

Stoicism teaches the acceptance of natural order by understanding that some things are beyond our control. Whilst promoting individuals to base their sense of well being on inner virtues and not external circumstances. To remain calm within the storm. One way in which this is possible is by preparing for challenge through developing self discipline, resilience and navigating uncertainty.

Balancing hope and acceptance is recognising the aspects which cannot be changed and those which can be.

Hope can teach us to create the light at the end of the tunnel, to be optimistic about what is to come and our ability to overcome adversity.

Stoicism sheds a light on what we are able to control about any given situation. To find solace within and be the type of person who can navigate life’s uncertainty by developing one’s own abilities.

See what is possible and be the type of person who can make it so.

Hope can cultivate the strength to venture into the unknown. To weather dangerous storms.

Hope is the belief we are capable of growth.

Lessons can be found anywhere and in this case, a simple house plant taught me a profound lesson.

Stay Curious,

Morgan Bedford