Invest in Self

Red roses are the ultimate symbol of love, so surely my husband would give me red roses for our 5-year wedding anniversary, right? 

Because he loves me, he did not - instead I received a gorgeous bouquet of unnaturally vibrant, rainbow-colored roses. Believe me when I say, these roses were meant for me! I have an appreciation for traditional things, but over time I have come to appreciate authenticity above anything else and there is no denying that color and sparkles are my jam!

 After a week of admiring the bouquet, I noticed that some of the rose stems were sprouting and I wondered if I could propagate them.  I had never kept a plant alive for more than a month before and this was a very unlikely pursuit, but I was intent on trying! 

I started out with about ten stems and they seemed to be growing really well at first, but as time went on, one after another died.  Two were hanging on and I monitored their progress daily, keeping the soil damp but not wet, and making sure they got sun, but not too much sun.  Despite my efforts, another one died, and I was down to just one. 

I gave this little stick with a few leaves so much attention and care and it didn’t matter that it wasn’t growing bigger, it just mattered that it was still green and I was keeping a plant alive!  I moved the little pot that it was in several times a day to ensure this little rose had the optimal environment and to ensure that there were no chances of our lawn company accidentally hurting it. 

Months went by and the little stick grew a few more leaves and upon incredibly careful inspection, I found that it had grown tiny roots!!  It was time to find the perfect place in the yard to plant it. I chose a space that has direct morning sunlight and shade from the hot Florida sun in the afternoons. I held my breath every time our lawn service came – there is no way they could know how special this seemingly insignificant stick with leaves was to me!

After nine months I saw a rose bud forming!  I couldn’t believe that this little stick was actually going to make it!  I checked on my little bud a couple times a day and then… the rose bud fell to the ground without ever opening.  That seemed about right.  Maybe roses would never grow, but I had come this far and continued to give this little plant the same care and attention.  A month later is when it happened.  Not one, but two rose buds formed!  AND THEY OPENED!!  I have never appreciated a flower more in my life! It turns out the natural rose color was white, which in retrospection makes perfect sense.  My 7-year-old who watched me care for this plant, now refers to any white roses as anniversary roses.  How sweet is that? It took 10 months of caring for a stick to see a rose bloom, all the while seeing very little progress.  Even though they weren’t rainbow-colored, I love those two white roses more than any other flower I have ever seen.

What I learned - if I can invest that much care and effort into a stick with some leaves, certainly I can invest that much care and effort into myself.  And where could I be in ten months of investing my myself? 

There is only one way to find out.