Grow

 Am I staying up way past my bedtime to write this? Yes. Yes, I am. But sometimes you've just gotta get the thoughts out of your head while you still have them.

Tonight, while I was watering some of my plants, I thought it would be fun to look up some pictures from when I originally got them to see how much they've grown and do a little side-by-side comparison.

While I was making those little comparison photos, the thought occurred to me: what if we treated people the way that we do plants? If the simple act of giving a plant the basic thing it needs leads to beautiful, healthy plants, what would happen if we did that to people? 

Whenever I add a plant to my collection, I look up that specific plant and see exactly what it needs not only to survive but to THRIVE. You can't give every plant the same care, and then wonder why some of them are struggling while others are doing well. Each one is different and has different watering, light, and other care needs. For example, if I give the same care to a plant from a tropical climate that I give to one from the desert, I can't expect the tropical plant to thrive. It needs higher humidity, more water, and different soil. 

The same goes for people. You can't take two completely different people, who are going through completely different things, show them the same generic "care", and be surprised when it doesn't work. What if, when we meet someone we actually did our research, and learned what they needed to THRIVE, and not just simply survive? Talk to them, figure out the things they like, what they dislike, and who they really are, what their NEESA are, and we tailor the care we give back to each individual instead of just the "standard" things we would normally give to everyone.

And, much like plants, we can't expect things to happen overnight. Sometimes, people need more time to truly start to thrive. Some, might not need much time at all. We need to be patient. 

Sure, a little love goes a long way, but have you ever stopped to think that maybe our generic "love" isn't enough? Love can be shown in countless ways, but not everyone needs the same kind of love. 

The next time you see someone struggling, or even just meet someone new, try to really get to know them, and what they need. You'd be surprised just how far that can go.