summertime/Room to Grow

Two cups of water, check. Fertilizer, check. Scissors, check. I mumbled under my breath as I grabbed supplies on my way out. I push open the door to the sun beating down on me as I squint through the glare to the droopy green plant waiting for me. I sighed, watching the once green and cheerful leaves now sag down with a hint of brown. I crouched beside it, lifting the leaves one by one, flicking off bugs and clearing off any pieces of dirt clinging to the stem before I evenly spread out the water across the soil. I readjusted the white strings tying the branches of the plant to the wooden posts on the outer edge of the pot and measured the height of the plant using a nearby ruler before standing up to survey my work.

It’s been two weeks, and the plant hasn’t grown a single inch. In fact, it shrank three centimeters. I groaned as the plant seemed to wilt before my eyes.

“Still fussing over your precious plant?” My mom’s voice sounded behind me.

“Yeah, I don’t understand. I mean, I’ve done everything for it. I learned everything there is to know about this plant, and I even added posts to help it grow faster and stronger!” I sighed, rubbing my eyes, “I’m probably just doing something wrong. I’ll do some more research.”

With that, I pushed past my mom and hurried upstairs. I spent hours buried in videos and articles, scribbling notes faster than I could read them. The next day, I returned more determined than ever. With newfound knowledge, I fertilized the plant and sprayed a newly bought bottle of plant growth formula. I smiled, admiring my work. It would take time, I told myself, it would work.

Yet two weeks later, and the plant’s leaves had nearly all fallen off, the root was peaking out from the soil, and the remaining leaves were all brown. It looked like it had been in the desert for months. I stared at the plant in disbelief.

“There’s no way,” I whispered to myself. I threw down my water bucket, water splashing everywhere, and turned to go back in when I heard a soft snap. I frowned, glancing back as I stepped through the door frame. One of the strings attaching the branch tied to the wooden stick had snapped off. And as fast as it had snapped off, the branch, no longer pulled tight, relaxed into its natural curve, and a hint of green returned into the leaf at its tip. For the first time, the plant looked relieved. I stopped and gasped, rushing outside. The originally brown leaf with a tint of green on its inside turned back to brown as soon as I touched it. I blinked and then gave the solid a quick, uneven pour. Maybe it didn’t need perfection, maybe it just needed space.

The next day, the originally brown stem had completely turned green. Beaming, I repeated the process. Water, and leave. At first, I checked up on the plant every day. Yet seeing the growth in the plant made me relax. Over time, I began to check up on the plant every other day, knowing that it would grow taller and flourish without my help.

When the plant was finally strong enough to be moved into the background dirt, I handed the task of watering to my brother. As the days passed and my plant grew taller, the days seemed to get quieter. I no longer pay attention to the small, unimportant details and focus more on what I want to do. The plant had taken up so much space in my life that, as I stood there watching the plant grow under the sun, I realized that I had forgotten how much time and energy I really had. It felt as if an invisible force had been lifted from my life, and my world slowly grew brighter.