For many years I thought that I simply loved maiden hair ferns for their delicate gracefully flowing fronds and the variants in the shades of green. For as long as I can remember there has been at least one, if not many, of these beautiful plants somewhere in my home gracing a sideboard or coffee table. I guess you could say that they’d become my signature plant.
However, when I’m watering them and tending to their well-being, I am often reminded of the moment when I realised their true value in my life. It occurred to me that when I was in my flow and living with purpose, I was naturally taking good care of myself and my ferns thrived, their beautiful fronds reflecting the delicateness, gentleness and grace that I could feel within myself. However, when I was out of sorts, had lost my focus and was being hard on myself, my ferns very quickly showed me that I was lacking in self-love and self-nurturing.
I realised that when I neglected myself, I was also neglecting my ferns. The delicate, light green young fronds no longer appeared, and the older fronds became a dark lifeless dull green and eventually withered into wispy, dry nothingness. In that moment of realisation, I knew that the ferns were reflecting my own inner life, and that clearly, just like the ferns, there is an inner delicacy and vibrancy within me that needs to be tended to with love and respect every day to foster new inner growth and my own vitality and grace.
Having found one of my outdoor ferns smashed from being trampled and broken by an animal overnight, my initial reaction was to blame the critter and be angry with the likely culprit. However the deeper part of me, my inner guidance, knew that if I was to grow and evolve, I would be wise to take notice of what was being shown to me.
I’d been hard on myself again, aligning to thoughts of uselessness about whatever it was that I was attempting to do that wasn’t working out as planned and as a result, resorting to munching chocolate or some other similarly unhealthy snack that did not support my inner settlement. It was easier to go to the distraction of sugar rather than feel and accept the truth.
The life-lesson these exquisite ferns reflect is to appreciate and connect with my own inner delicacy and grace, and that when I disregard that deeper part of me I’m affecting my own health and equilibrium, but also impacting all others around me. I have come to deeply appreciate the reflections we are offered from nature. They can guide us through life if we take the time to observe the learning nature offers.