STITCHING WITH JULIAN

Hello! I was chatting with a friend recently and they mentioned how sometimes juggling daily life while trying to make progress on your goals can be so difficult. Between work, kids, health (both mental and physical), friends, family, chores, and working to better yourself or your situation, it seems like there’s no time for anything else (including rest!).

Not sure if you feel the same way, dear reader, but I certainly can relate! Often, we see other people’s successes and wonder what their ‘big break’ was and how we can find that sudden step up in success. While it’s true that sometimes the right things happen to the right person at the right time, more often it’s small consistent steps over long periods that get us where we want to be. Desmond Tutu summed it up well when he said that the only way to eat an elephant was one bite at a time. Trying to change everything at once is a monumental task. Breaking things down and making change slowly is less daunting and more likely to stick. As we’ve previously established, I have many house plants. Caring for them all could seem overwhelming, but remember that I don’t have to tend to them all every day. I do, however, have to tend to at least some of them each day. In taking five or ten minutes to care for a percentage of my plant brood daily, I am working towards something lush and uplifting that not only benefits my plants but benefits me as well. Working amongst the greenery helps lower stress. When I buy a plant on sale (plants are one of my favourite things, a good sale is another) and they’re looking a bit worse for wear, I get great satisfaction in working through the issues, creating a better environment for it, and with patience seeing it thrive (hopefully!). These processes are a gentle reminder that humans are like plants too – you don’t blame the plant if it isn’t growing, you look at the environment it’s in and whether it’s needs are being met – does it need more water? More light? Fertiliser? Treat yourself like a gorgeous plant – what do you need right now? More sleep? Hydration? By asking that question regularly and using the answers to make small changes daily, we can curate better environments for us to flourish. Stitch boldly!