Don’t take anything for granted, eventually, they will get tired..

I came across this beautiful climber when I was in elementary school. My mom always enjoyed growing plants in the house. We used to live in a small apartment with a small balcony. But our balcony used to be half-covered with potted plants. Out of many beautiful foliage and plants, the one prominent member was the “Money Plant”- a bright golden Pothos (Devil’s ivy plant). She adored that plant and I remember this Pothos as the “Money Plant”. My mom used to tell me that this plant is a sign of your wealth and health too. I didn’t know how much true it is. But I got connected to this plant since then. If the money plant is healthy it means, your financial situation is great and so is your health. Considering, the rough tides our family sailed through back in the 90s, the health of this plant because quite significant to measure on a time-to-time basis for me. You may call it superstition, but I would call it “hope”. “Hope” has no form or permanent definition. It is fluid and can take any shape depending on, to whom it belongs, and from where it originates.

Well, that’s how I got introduced and attached to Golden Pothos in my life. Now, I live in the US but somehow my relationship with Ivy plant didn’t change except for the wealth part. I know it was asinine to believe that but as I said it was a symbol of hope which kept us remain positive during distressing times of our life.

Some facts about this beautiful plant -Its biological name is Epipremnum, better known as Pothos or Devil’s Ivy, is a blessing for those who live in a home with limited natural light. This plant is almost impossible to kill and stays green even when kept in the dark. Pothos (also called Devil’s Ivy) is a tropical vine plant that has adapted well as a hardy houseplant. It has shiny, heart-shaped leaves and comes in several natural and cultivated varieties to add interesting foliage to your home. Usually from my experience, I found them very easy to maintain. I still remember once I visited India for 3 weeks and I filled the pot with a lot of water and left. When I came back, it was looking a little dehydrated but after I poured the water, it revived within 24 hours. Initially, I was shocked and felt terrible. But the next day, the plant was reborn, full of life and I was super relaxed. Gradually, I started believing that this plant can survive any tough situation. It is quite a robust house plant and doesn’t need much maintenance or care. All this was great for me as I am a super busy, multitasker, working mom, with varied interests and hobbies to pursue. I started taking this plant for granted. At times, I would forget to water it for days, but whenever I watered it, it got its smile back. I ignored this little creature many times, but every time I showered little love on it, it embraced me heartedly. I fell in love with forever Pothos, but I never spent too much time on its maintenance. I would keep this plant in any corner of the house, and it will make that place lively and full of energy. I just remember to water this occasionally, so it continues to remain healthy. But nothing much I did. I just expected it to remain green and loving to me and my house. So, mean of me, isn’t it?

In our life, the ones who are always there for us, we behaved in the same way, we just water them occasionally, and the rest of the time, we remain occupied in our life. We think they will never leave us no matter what. We take them for granted. We don’t care about them as much as they do. We keep chasing things that are not in our reach but forget about what we have. It’s human nature that we don’t find it valuable what is easily available and near to you. My behavior was the same towards my golden Pothos plant. This plant was gifted to me by my friend but despite that, I grew a little careless. However, this plant was always hale and hearty despite my little care and ignorant attitude.

This year the weather had been crazy and weird. I live in Chicago and this time the spring and summers have arrived so late here. Usually, I keep my ivy plant on my patio, near the entrance door as they look beautiful over there. As May month started, I transferred this plant to my patio. By that time, I blindly believed this plant could survive anything and doesn’t need so much love and care. I had seen its journey of growth in the last year and based on past experiences I was pretty sure that it doesn’t much care. It is true that it is less maintenance plant but how less? There is always a limit. In a nutshell, I just took this plant for granted. Due to climate change and for many reasons, the spring started in April end but suddenly in May, the temperature dropped to frosting cold. I wasn’t concerned much about this plant as I was certain it was quite a happy, sturdy, evergreen climber. The temperature continued to fluctuate throughout the first and second weeks of May. Suddenly, one evening the temperature dropped below 30 degrees Fahrenheit and I forgot to bring this plant inside the house. I assumed it will survive this cold. After all, it was just a matter of one night. The next day, around noon time, I went to my patio to check on my plant. I was happy to see nothing happened to Pansies. However, my beautiful pathos was dehydrated and became a soggy mess. The water was dripping from its leaves. I immediately brought the plant inside. By the next day, I realized, I did a terrible mistake as Pothos was no more. It didn’t come back to life. A beautiful, always green, and shiny plant had turned into a mushy and squelchy mass. It was terrible to see my plant in distress. I had no option but to cut all the stems and leaves. I took my plant for granted and see what happened.

In our life, many times, we just don’t care about those who love us the most. We start believing they would be available for us always. We don’t give them enough time or care because we think they will withstand the weather and be available for us whenever we want. We need to realize that eventually, everyone gets tired. Like my beautiful plant. We need to learn, respect, give time to our loved ones and be grateful for what we have rather than taking anything for granted. A beautiful lesson was taught to me by my plant -Pothos. “Do not take anything for granted, eventually, they will get tired”.