About three years ago, my husband and I spent the day in Balboa Island in Newport Beach, CA. A lot of the homes there have big windows facing the walking path and the harbor, so it’s fun to just take a stroll and glance into people’s homes. I know it sounds creepy, but it’s almost impossible to walk around there without looking into people’s homes. In fact, I’ve had some homeowners wave to me from their house if we happen to make eye contact! 😂
One of the things that I noticed in their patios was potted lemon trees. I thought to myself, “That would be so cool to be able to grow my own potted lemon tree!” But being that I don’t have a green thumb (I once killed a bonsai tree), I was hesitant in starting one; but I did it anyway! I took seeds from a lemon that I bought at the local grocery store and planted three of them in one pot with some soil for citrus trees. I faithfully watered it according to instructions that I found online.
I was so excited when it started sprouting up and growing slowly but surely. I didn’t expect any fruit for at least a year or two (especially because I was growing them indoors with constant exposure to sunlight during the day), but I didn’t care. I was just so happy that I could actually grow something that started as seeds from a fruit that I bought at the store. I didn’t take pictures of the growth, but it looked something like this:
I had big dreams for these lemon trees. I got excited thinking about how I was going to have freshly picked lemons for my water and tea every morning. I pictured myself making lemon pancakes, lemon pepper fish, lemonade… I was mentally collecting recipes. As they grew bigger, I separated them into their own pots (so three trees!). I was so proud of my lemon trees; I’m surprised that I didn’t assign names for them! They were thriving and growing beautiful, big leaves that smelled like lemons… until they all started to get sick.
When I first noticed that the leaves were turning yellow, then brown and falling off, I went online and did everything that I found to do in order to revive my sickly trees; but in the end, they met their destiny:
They’ve been dead for a month now, and I finally decided to accept defeat. I planted all three of them together after they died so that they could all be together. It’s kind of comical and tragic at the same time in my opinion. And while I’ve been looking at this dead pot of lemon trees, I’ve been reminded of three life lessons.
Lesson #1: Find joy in the simple things.
When the seeds started sprouting up, I couldn’t believe how happy I was! I looked forward to seeing their growth every morning. Even when there was a million things going on, watching my little lemon trees-in-the-making made me stop and marvel at this miracle of growth. When I stop to look at a rainbow, listen to the birds chirping in the morning, feeling the warmth of the sun or watching old couples holding hands, it brings me back to the present moment which allows my heart to smile and appreciate the simpler things in life.
Lesson #2: Be consistent in watering and pruning.
I did my research to water only as often as I needed (not every day). When there were diseased branches, I pruned them to make sure they were not going to make the rest of the plants sick. I need to make sure I’m getting “watered” by constantly learning and developing my strengths as well as getting “pruned” by cutting out bad habits, thoughts and actions that do not serve me for my highest good.
Lesson #3: Check the soil!
I think my plants died because I did a poor job checking the ph of the soil. There are soil testing kits out there, but I decided that the only thing my plants would need are plant foods. In life, I must assess my soil to make sure I have what I need in order to thrive. I’m not talking about selfish ambition; what I mean is that I need to make sure that I surround myself with people who I feel safe with and cared for. Community is so important because we are all connected. If my “soil” is not the right ph for me to thrive, the negative impact will ultimately spread throughout the entire universe.
In 2020, I will be planting seeds for new lemon trees. Maybe this time around, I will actually be able to make those lemon pancakes!
With Gratitude,
Jheni Solis Wellness 