"What we can learn from plants"

A few years ago, my students gifted me a small plant.

It was in honor of a Jewish Holiday, Shavuot.

In Shavuot, it's customary to decorate your home and the synagogue with plants and flowers.

This beautiful festive tradition originates from the fact that it is believed Mount Sinai bloomed the day the Torah was handed to the Jewish people.

For those of you unfamiliar, the Torah is the Hebrew word for the Pentateuch or five books of Moses.

It is so, that the little plant made it home with me and survived miraculously for a few years until one of my children accidentally knocked it over.

Far from a green thumb expert, i did what i could to save my little plant.

I scooped it, replanted it, water it and left it outside in the hopes that the sun would nurse it back to health.

Something remarkable happened but not what one would expect.

After a few days i noticed something green pocking out of the ground.

No, it wasn't the old plant gifted by my students but in fact a weed.

She grew proud and strong, in a few days even outrageously tall.

I couldn't help but appreciate the poetry and lesson there.

One plant had given up and another found right there opportunity.

Then it dawn on me, how many of us out there are chasing our dreams.

Hoping for the right opportunity or place to shine.

May be the weed had it right all along.

If you believe in yourself you can create your own opportunity.

The weed didn't ask for permission, she was resilient, relentless.

After a while, i admit i felt bad about it, but i removed the weed.

I did derive inspiration from this situation and decided to plant some pepper seeds and try my luck.

This tiny pot held promise and opportunity.

It did, indeed render it's fruits.

Seven seeds grew and are trying against all odds to be.

If they can dare to dream, surely so can we.

I wanted to share with you all, that nature as usual has unlimited wisdom to offer us.

Let's keep our eyes open for these lessons around us.

Most of all, just like Mount Sinai, we can bloom and rise to the occasion.

Whatever this means for each of us could be different but the lesson is one that surely deserves our attention.