Surround Yourself With Life (aka: plants!)

Throughout the past month in Michigan, the cold, wind, gray sky, and snow has endured. Even for a person who loves snow, a little bit can go a long way. The weather is something that affects people every day from what they wear to how or if they exercise to the way they interact with others. After moving to Michigan, though I love this place, I've realized that months without much sunshine can really get a person feeling tired and run down.

So what am I going to do to prevent the winter blues? I am going to surround myself by living things, in particular plants (although if I could, I would definitely keep a dog by my side too!). I say this as though it is something that I've known about myself forever, as though I have plants bursting from my apartment when the front door opens, but this need for plants is a new insight I've had.

When Darek and I moved into our apartment in the fall, I was adamant that one of my uncle's unused artificial trees was coming with us to the apartment. Darek was weary about having a fake tree adorn our living room, but he could tell that I was not going to change my mind about bringing the tree. After painting the walls and moving in the furniture, I proudly placed the tree in the far corner of our living room by the large rectangle window. At the time, I placed it there to make that side of the room seem less bare, and to my surprise, Darek thought the tree "made" the room. What I was unaware of when I placed the tree in the far corner of our living room, however, was the great role that artificial tree would play in my life.

As a person who works from home, the apartment can get a little stuffy after spending eight hours sitting and writing in the same spot looking at the same thing all day. Often, I catch myself staring out the window longing for some fresh air, the sight of someone walking their dog, or even the squirrels playing in the branches of the leafless trees across the street. However, after weeks of looking out the window, I realized my gaze began to move to the right towards the artificial tree. Something about its green leaves unaffected by the cold, snow, and wind made the object appealing. Even though it was artifical, the leaves, their green color, and just the idea of plants and life gave me energy and reminded me that spring is always around the corner.

Looking to the recent past, I am able to recognize other instances that I have turned to plants to give me that extra pinch of cheer. Last week, for Valentine's Day, the chiropractor was handing out red, pink, and white flowers to patients to take home to their Valentine. I chose a red carnation and brought it home to put in our crystal bud vase on the kitchen table. For the next two or three days, I was constantly moving the vase and flower all over the apartment to find where it "looked best." After the kitchen table, it moved to the coffee table in our living room, to the kitchen window, to our bedroom night stand, and finally back into the kitchen on the counter next to the sugar cookies I was making. At the time, I honestly thought I was just trying to do the flower justice by finding its perfect spot. Funny though, that each perfect spot was exactly where I was planning to spend time. The flower moved with me from eating lunch, to watching television and working, to cutting out coupons, to reading a book in bed, and back to making sweets for Valentines Day. Ultimately, the flower was making my daily activities more enjoyable by just being there by my side.

To make a long story short, I've learned that plants are a good way to add some zip to the day and give a vivacious touch to the routine. I urge everyone to go out and buy a flower, or to dust off that artifical tree you've been keeping in your attic and move it out into the open. Live with color, live with life, live with energy, and LIVE WITH PLANTS!