The Long and Short of a Palm !

It might appear as a serendipitous bond today but there’s so much that’s gone in making it what it is.

When I received my first plant, a baby palm it was. Meant to be kept indoors, needed minimum sunlight, minimum water.. in short minimum care. It was to be a decorative plant in the living room, add some touch of green to the modern, bare, confused living room. And so it did. Year after year, home after home. I thought it was the best investment ever made and would boast about it to all and sundry.. I had a plant that delivered the purpose of its being.

It fared so well at its purpose that after a while I stopped even watering it.. it would get its daily (almost) dose of water from the house help. I had other things to worry for. And after all it was a sorted aspect of my life.. so sorted that it wasn’t even visible anymore.

Figuratively it wept I guess.. the leaves started to wilt away, the colour started to change.. old ones gave way to a new leaf every week trying hard to keep up with life. From the corner of my eye I could see that it was seeking me.. its lover, its partner. I tried to but failed to focus.. what importance does a small illness have anyway. I called for the gardener, had it mended.. trimmed, tilled, cleaned and watered. He checked for physical issues and found none.

I went on with other important things and kept upping my ignorance.

And then we shifted yet again. Packed by the movers, put in a corner; it had detached itself from me. It didn’t mind being ignored and stopped showing even symptoms of illness. So much had I ignored it that a few months after moving in the new house I realised something was amiss. I had forgotten to keep the palm indoors. The month was May and out in the scorching sun it was. Much to my amusement, it had still survived.

With utmost guilt, I moved it inside and wiped all the leaves myself. The layer of dust was too thick I guess. A few leaves fell out and then a whole big stem with many big and small leaves came out. It didn’t care even when I showed love. It needed no more showing. It needed to feel it, just like I needed to feel it. I was not even surprised that it almost showed me signs of anger and hatred. I had cut its life short after promising the world.

The gardener paid another visit and insisted I remove the palm and get a new fresh one.. I looked at the palm and it agreed too.. almost waiting to give up living. And almost as an action replay I remembered it all from the beginning. Last few strands of unhealthy greens waiting to be pulled to empty the pot was all that was left of the beautiful full green palm I first saw. This is when it struck me.. If I couldn’t keep this one alive.. I was not capable of nurturing any life whatsoever. I gathered all that I had and committed to bringing it back to life. Each time the gardener visited he would lure me with better options.. sometimes even willing to give them free of cost to market his services. I let him mend the others.. but this palm was mine. It represented my promise to life. I had to get it to life. I needed this more than anything else now. It would bring back my life force I was sure.

It took months, but its better. The new leaves come out as beautiful as if it was its first blossom. The old ones still have some knots, some burns and some dry ends. They’re getting there.

Whats important is that it responded. After all the pain, it still saw hope.

I plan to spread it out.. to other pots, to other rooms.

And when it gets there, this time I’m not letting it go.