The wellness factor!

 

Two rose bushes beside each other! One with a bud and another yet to have a bud! The contrast is a mystery!

The first shows signs of growth with branches and healthy leaves. 

The second rose shows suspicion of having been affected in its growing process with few leaves and branches. 

This sight in our garden last week made me ponder and explore what might have caused this difference. 

The second rose bush is in the shade of another shrub which filters the sunshine on the rose bush. During the earlier flowering season, the shrub was smaller in height and less in foliage, which allowed the rose bush to flourish!

There are some determinants for growth for plants, which vary from species to species. 

The rose bush needs bright sunshine, good manuring and wet soil for them to be optimally growing. 

I received a message from a family who suffered a set back on account of a disturbing event. They were recovering from a major event of serious concern. This set back is a drag on them. 

I saw the news paper report yesterday of death of 50 people in Gaza strip after a good season of ceasefire!

Life, living and becoming come up frequently in my thoughts during these days, probably on account of transition into a new year. 

A papaya tree with its fruits gives the message of fruitful presence in the garden. 

The fruits are a sign of how everything converged well for this growing papaya tree. 

I realise how life events are processed by some families well and not so well by other families. 

A hospital in central India found out that patients with sickle disease who were encouraged to drink extra water to avoid sickle cell crisis did not have access to potable water and toilet facility for women to use. The provision of water seems to help people to hydrate themselves better during the summer months. The stunting of growth, a sequelae of  frequent metabolic crisis patients of sickle cell disease suffer from can be partly overcome by the simple precaution of adequate hydration. 

Often small steps are what would be needed to promote wellness in life and minimise the impact of the adverse circumstances. 

The small steps towards wellness are mostly in our domain. 

A family who had two adults in their neighbourhood, who were abusive at home, invited them to join in for visiting senior citizens who lived alone in their neighbourhood.  Since then, there was a change in the behaviour of these adults at home. 

Often, small steps to modify the environment bring back the normal rhythm and pace to life!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)