Did you ever have one of those days where it seemed like everyone in your life wanted something from you? Whether it’s your boss, your significant other, your kids or even your friends, being the responsible and dependable one in your inner circle has its pitfalls. When I feel like this, I think of the Mother of Thousands (Kalanchoe daigremontiana) plant.
This delightful succulent from Madagascar carries armloads of “babies” on her sleeves. Actually, they’re leaves, not sleeves. But you get the picture. She goes through life taking care of others – a real people-pleaser kind of plant. And that’s exactly how I feel on so many days.
I Wasn’t Always A Kalanchoe Mother of Thousands
It wasn’t always like this. I was young and carefree once. With only myself to look after, my spare time was my own. Then life happened. I got married, had kids, took on responsibilities and bam! The next thing I knew I was the Kalanchoe Mother of Thousands plant in human form. Whenever family or friends needed something done, it was assumed I had the time to do it.
This was due, in large part, to society’s notion that writers who aren’t sitting at a noisy desk in a crowded, stuffy corporate cubicle aren’t really working. Of course, I may have helped perpetuate this myth. I would often write from the comfort of an overstuffed chair, cloaked in my pajamas and drinking coffee. But hey, isn’t that a perk of being a freelance writer?
Unfortunately, my comfy status often led family and friends to deem me as “non-working.” Thus, heaps of responsibilities got dumped in my lap. Each one was like a Mother of Thousands baby dangling from my human leaves.
My Mother of Thousands Babies
Yet, there is another, more satisfying reason why being a writer makes me feel like the Mother of Thousands succulent. Just as the mother plant nurtures the offspring growing at the edges of her leaves, writers nurture their readers.
As a writer for Gardening Know How, I have the opportunity to inspire others to pursue gardening opportunities, explore different agricultural techniques and learn more about the vast array of flora which grows on every continent of our planet.
And just like every Mother of Thousands baby eventually drops to the ground and sinks roots into the earth, I hope my writing inspires our readers to do the same. Sow your first seed. Plant another tree in the yard. Or embark on that major landscaping project you’ve been dreaming about for years.
With dirt under your nails and grass stains on your knees, one thing is sure to be true. Your family and friends won’t mistake your gardening efforts for anything less than the hard work that gardening is. And if you’re lucky, you can escape the responsibility of being your inner circle’s Mother of Thousands succulent.
