Sunday, September 16, 2007

Things about life that we learn from plants - 植物から学ぶこと。

Weather: Cloudy/occasional showers; 57°F
Energy Level: 3.5 out of 10 (improving!!)
Mood: 5/10
Health: 3/10
Not the greatest picture
of the survivor plant this evening.
あんまりいい写真ではないけれど、
暗がりで撮ったつわものの写真。

I would be the first to admit that I'm not the most nurturing person when it comes to plants. Neither is Daniel, so we have killed many an innocent plant in our life together. So, keeping a few things alive (zinnia, mini tomatoes, & lavender) in our window sill has been a proud accomplishment. (Never mind that zinnia may be one of the easiest thing to grow.)

A couple of weeks ago when my parents were here, I cut off a couple of the stems off the zinnia plant, since some of them didn't seem to be faring well, not getting enough faint Seattle sun in the crowded pot. They were put in a little vase, maybe 3-4 inches across at the base. I'd paid very little attention since--I may have changed water once or twice. Today, I noticed they seemed to be thriving somehow. So I raised my heavy behind to change water. When I lifted these little flowers--no more than a few inches tall--I let out a yelp.

As I dragged them out I saw: At the bottom, they were growing looooong shaggy roots, longer than what's at the top, coiling at the bottom of this tiny vase. They were trying to make the most out of the shallow water. I wasn't expecting that. I thought cut flowers die if left to their own devices. I was immensely impressed.

This led me to think. Plants don't whine or complain, and when no one is looking, they are making the most out of their situation. They are being creative, growing roots and twisting their bodies in every which way to reach the sun and water. So creative! Such thirst for life!

When I talked about this with Daniel in amazement and awe, he recalled a small tree we saw at about the same time when these flowers began their second life. When we went to this waterfront restaurant with my parents, he noticed a small tree growing out of an old wooden post at the end of the pier. The tree seed, when it landed that post, didn't say: "Well, this sucks; this isn't a normal soil. I'm just going to give up being a tree." Instead it said, "This seems possible. I'll put my roots down here and here where the post seems soft, and I'll try my best!" And it became a tree.

Nowadays during some unforeseen snags in life, I feel that kind of flexibility and creativity are needed in my life: meeting myself where I am, wherever that is, and making the best of it however possible--even enjoying the process at times.

Just as teachers may find themselves learning from the students, I am learning from the plants I helped grow from the seeds. I thought I was giving them life, when in fact they were giving life lessons to me.

-A

天候: 曇りときどき雨; 14°C
元気度(勢い): 3.5/10 (上昇中!!)
気分: 5/10
体調: 3/10

植物の世話をするのは、ぽーっとした性格も手伝って
はっきり言って苦手です。

ダニエルもそうなので、二人で暮らしていて
殺してしまった観葉植物は数知れず。
そんな私達なので、今年の春から窓際で育てた
百日草、プチトマトとラベンダーがまだ生きていることは
奇跡に近く、ひそかに誇りに思っています。
(百日草って育てるのはすごい簡単らしいですが。)

二週間ほど前両親が来ていたときかすぐ後、
百日草の小さな鉢の中で シアトルのほのかな日の光に
あまり当たれない背の低いお花を切って、ちいさな花瓶に
入れました。

その後水を1回か2回替えたかも知れませんが、
例によってあまり彼らのことを考えることはありませんでした。
そして今日ふと見ると、何週間か経ったあとで
小さなお花は未だ生き生きしているのです。

ああ悪かったお水を替えよう、と思い重い腰を上げ、
その数本のお花を花瓶から持ち上げて、思わず
キャーッと叫んでしまいました。

お花の付け根からズルズル出てきたのは、
長ーい、上に出ているお花よりずっと長い、ぼさぼさの
根っこ。 浅くなってしまった水を吸おうと、
花瓶の底でくるっと一回りか二回りしていたようです。 

びっくりしました。 切花は、花瓶の水を
替えてやらなければ死ぬものと思っていたからです。
なんて強い生き物なんだろうと感動しました。

これには考えさせられました。
植物って何も不満も言わないし泣きもしないけれど、
誰も見ていないところで、自分達のおかれた状況が
どんなに厳しくてもなんとかしてみようと工夫しているのです。
今ある小さな茎の長さでだめなら根っこを伸ばして、
向きをいろいろ変えて工夫して、日に当たろうとしたり、
水に触れようとしている。 すごい生命力!

このことをダニエルと話したところ、彼はこのお花達が第二の
人生を始めたのと同じ頃にふたりで見た木を思い起こしました。
海辺のレストランに私の両親とみんなで食べに行ったとき彼は、
桟橋の先にあった古い杭に生えている小さな木を見つけて
感心していたのです。 その木もしかり。

その木の種は、風に吹かれて地面ではなく
木の杭のてっぺんに到着して、「あ、こりゃだめだ、
木になるのはあきらめよう」とは言いませんでした。
(想像)「うん、これはいけるかも。 やわらかそうな
古い杭だからなんとか根を下ろしてやってみよう」と言って、
入り込める隙間すべてに入って、木になったのです。

体調が良くない今、そんな柔軟な姿勢、生命力が必要だなあ、と
感じます。 自分のおかれた状況を嘆くのではなく
あるがまま受け入れて、時には楽しみながら、
創造力をこらして出来るだけのことをする。

教師が、自分は人に教えるんだと思いながら実は
生徒に教わっていたことに気づくように、私も
生かしていたと思っていた植物に生き方を教わっています。

-英

2 comments:

mick(^o^)k said...

My wife, Miki spends majority of the day reading blogs written by Japanese residing in the US. I recently learned that Japanese is the most used language in blog world. This is amazing; I thought exceeding the prevalence of English language in any field was impossible, other than in Manga republic. I wish Aya's site gets more audience. Also, I hope she writes anything she wants to, without worrying of reaction of audience, especially of her friends. I don't have much to say here, but when I saw '0 comment' for last several days, I wanted to send a comment to encourage Aya.

By the way readers, (wherever you are), this 23rd is Aya's birthday. Let's celebrate it!

Aya said...

Mick-san, you're so sweet to stop by & leave a comment! Wow, that is amazing that Japanese is the most used language in the blog, considering the Japanese-speaking population is much smaller than the English-speaking--maybe Japanese people have a lot to say but don't have a chance to say it in person!

I'm OK not to get comments, because I myself read other blogs without leaving a comment much of the time... but it is nice to get comments!

Nice of you to remember my birthday but I must admit I don't want to think about it much... I just recently realized how old I'm getting to be. Time flies!