I enjoy having plants around my home. It helps clean the air, adds colour to any space, and it feels rewarding to take care of something and then watch it grow.
While all plants seem to grow differently and at different rates, nothing grows as tall or as quickly as the bamboo.
Bamboo and the Speed of Growth
There are literally over a thousand varieties of bamboo growing in many parts of Central and South America and Asia. But the Moso Bamboo, found chiefly in southern China and Taiwan, has numerous commercial uses (e.g., flooring, building materials, and clothing). It also has one of the most exciting growth patterns.
When you plant this type of grass, you don’t see much change within the first two or three years. Then, sometime after the second or third year, it has a massive growth spurt. During this growth spurt, it can grow almost one metre per day, making it the fastest-growing plant on earth. Essentially, you can watch it grow before your eyes.
Growth Spurts Happen In Due Time
I think the Moso Bamboo provides a powerful analogy for how growth and change can happen in life.
Sometimes, you work and work and work on something for years at a time and never see the results of your efforts. Then suddenly, without any notice or warning, something happens, and there is massive change and growth.
You can see this happen in different areas of life.
Parenting. You make numerous attempts to connect with your teenager, only to have them ignore you. Then, without notice, something happens in their life, and they reach out to you, changing the nature of your relationship from that point forward.
Exercise and Diet. You push yourself to attend fitness classes and eat the right foods, but for months and months, you don’t see any change on the scale. Then one day, you realize that all your clothes suddenly fit you better than they ever have in the past.
Mental Health. You spend months and months trying to balance your thinking, trying to be more physically active, and trying to connect with friends. You don’t notice anything different in your life, but then you realize you haven’t had a depressive episode in over a year.
Summary
Change, growth, healing – all of these things take time. And when you do all the right things without seeing the results, it can be discouraging, making you wonder if you’ll ever be successful in your goals.
But the lesson from the bamboo, and all plants for that matter, is that growth and change take time, especially in the beginning. Your plants might be receiving all the sunlight and water necessary for growth, but you might not see any blossoms until many years later.
Stick with your change plan; just don’t expect it to happen quickly. But if you stick with it long enough, the growth, change, and success you receive will be all worth your efforts.
Richard
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