Finding Motivation in the Wonder of the World

Today for my free writing, I'd like to share with you a story about the wonder of the world plant. Its scientific name is the Kalanchoe-Pinnata. In my country it's also known as the miracle leaf plant. It may be known by other names in other countries.

Here's a picture I found on Wikimedia Commons.

Now, you may wonder why this plant is known as wonder of the world when, at first glance, there hardly appears to be anything that distinguishes it from another. Well, for one thing, among my people, the wonder of the world is known for its medicinal uses. It's used to treat burns, headaches, diarrhoea, kidney stones, gastric ulcer, pulmonary infection, rheumatoid arthritis, and other ailments. And so, as you would expect, this seeming panacea for all ills is a common plant in many rural homes.

I've also kept the wonder of the world plant for some time, not for its medicine, but as reminder to myself when times are tough.

See, the leaves of the wonder of the world plant can grow anywhere, even without light, soil and water.

When we were kids, my friends and I would take a leaf of the wonder of the world plant, hide it in the center of our copybooks and hide our books away from the light for weeks.

Now, a natural leaf would die under those circumstance, right? After all, plants need soil, water and sunshine to grow, and you could hardly find any of those pressed in the middle of a book. Still, this is the miraculous thing about the wonder of the world plant. It thrives- even in darkness. After a week or two, we'd open our books to see little roots shooting out from the edges of the leaves.

As I grew, this simple act of thriving in the dark took on a metaphorical meaning for me. It stopped being simply the miracle of one plant but I felt a personal affinity to its sturdiness, the fact that it was perhaps nothing special to look at, but beneath its simplicity lay a resilient core, prepared to not just survive but thrive even in the most difficult of circumstances.

Over the past three years, as the world underwent an upheaval in response to the threat (real or imagined) of the COVID 19 pandemic, many lives were turned upside down.

• Some of us lost loved ones.

• Some were brought to near penury as a result of the economic constraints brought on during the pandemic.

• Some suffered severe emotional stress as a result of mandatory lockdowns and social isolation.

Very few people were left unscathed. And so, for me, testing though this time may have been, I understood that I had the opportunity to determine how I would respond to my circumstances, and I knew that my perspective, my outlook would determine my outcome.

And so, these past few years, that's exactly what I did. When the company I worked for closed its doors and opportunities for alternative employment became increasingly difficult, I adjusted. I learned about an entirely new, fascinating world of finance and investing in cryptocurrencies. This new world made me want to learn about money in a way that I had cared to learn before. And I didn't just survive during this difficult time, I learned to adapt and thrive regardless of my circumstances.

Today, as we prepare for the weekend and a new month, and as we set new financial and personal goals for ourselves, I'd like to take this moment to share this plant with each of you. I trust that you can find motivation in its story as I have, and that you too will continue to thrive and prosper, whatever circumstances lie ahead.

Have a great night, everyone.