Reason to believe…

I have a curry leaf plant growing in a pot outside the house, a scrawny miserable-looking curry leaf plant…

…and yet, looking at it, it seems that there are a lot of lessons that we can derive from it.

It has been around for a number of years now, through rain and shine. I am not into gardening at all, so it has always been neglected…terribly. It will depend on the rain for water, so during long, dry spells, it may shed its leaves and look as if it would wither away and die. But when the rain comes, it will sprout fresh, green leaves and live on. Our lives are like that – there are good times and bad times. When times are hard and things are not what we would like them to be, we must never give up hope that we can survive. Instead, we should do whatever we can in order that we may sail through our difficulties until things get better.

I have a curry leaf plant growing in a pot outside the house, a scrawny miserable-looking curry leaf plant…

…and yet, it is always there when I need some curry leaves for my cooking. I have a bigger more-luxuriant plant growing in a corner at the far end of the garden, but it is not so convenient to go and get the leaves, especially on rainy days. So it is with all of us, as insignificant individuals – nameless and faceless in our society but we should not regard ourselves as useless for we can contribute in some small ways to the well-being of others. A simple hello, a sincere smile or “thank you” can go a long way to brighten up the lives of those that we meet…especially after a long and taxing day at work. Whatever work or profession we may be involved in, we may feel that we are just another brick in the wall…but when that brick is removed, the wall may just collapse eventually.

I have a curry leaf plant growing in a pot outside the house, a scrawny miserable-looking curry leaf plant. It may fall “sick” sometimes and I would see red spots on the leaves…and on occasions such as these, I would not use them for my cooking. After a while, the leaves would drop and I thought to myself, “This is it! The plant has finally called it a day!” But I have been wrong not just once but several times in fact for the plant has never failed to sprout new leaves and live on. In our lives, we may fall sick too but if we are positive enough to fight on, with unfailing hope and determination, we may overcome whatever ailment that plague us.

I have a curry leaf plant growing in a pot outside the house, a scrawny miserable-looking curry leaf plant…

It has to depend on whatever nutrition from the little bit of soil in the pot but unfortunately, even that has to be shared with all the weeds that surround it. No doubt it is a dog-eat-dog world out there but we need to remain strong and steadfast whilst cherishing whetever little blessings we may find along the way. Only then can we remain…standing tall.

I have a curry leaf plant growing in a pot outside the house, a scrawny miserable-looking curry leaf plant, and scrawny and miserable-looking though it may be, I have a reason to believe that there are reasons for it to be there all these years…just as I have a reason to believe that there are reasons for us to be here. “With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world…Strive to be happy.”
(DESIDERATA)