African Violets: The Love of my Life!

The holy man replied, “Your mind is filled with all your ideas about me, my teachings, what you will learn, and what you think you already know. There is no room for anything else. For me to teach you anything would be like pouring tea into a cup already full.” After a moment’s pause he added, “For you to learn anything, you must first begin by emptying your cup.”

-An old tale adapted, quoted from source

-This is one of my newest violets in my collection. I'm in love with the flowers!

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I'm a plant person!

If you don’t already know, I’m a huge fan of African Violets, genus Saintpaulia. They’re a plant from their name’s sake continent, native to higher elevations in tropical Eastern Africa. This plant is easily the love of my life, hobby-wise. If you're interested, here's a Britannica article about them. I currently only have five of them due to unfortunate circumstances. But the few that I do have are glorious. Developing them, shaping them, growing them from scratch, there’s just something about plants that speak to my soul. If I were in a fantasy world, I’d totally be a Druid.

-This is Nancy Reagan, my favorite violet I have ever owned. Sadly she died from my depression a few years ago! I'll get a replacement for her soon.

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Keep on trying

I have raised plenty of African Violets in my few years in the hobby. Learned a lot and made a ton of mistakes. My biggest initial obstacle was my spurts of depression, though they are mild, they often lead to my plants dying. Which is really frustrating when you love them! I’ve only ever lost one batch to depression, my second batch died of a virus outbreak from my purveyor. So I’m on my third batch now. When you love something, you shouldn’t let it go even if the universe seems like it’s saying otherwise.

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-Growing some babies!

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I’ve started over in my violet collection twice now. Some would wonder why I haven’t quit. Others would think it’s a waste of money. But I promise that enjoying a healthy hobby isn’t a waste of money. And quitting would be more of a waste if anything. So my hobby endures, just as I do. I hope to one day start my own business selling these plants to other individuals.

-The pink lace flowers are so heavy and gorgeous!

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Effort for growth

My green thumb comes from hard work. But also listening too. In a way, people skills, plant skills, or any skills really, are often learned through listening. Then practicing. If you practice wrong, you’ll never get better. That’s why so many have a ‘black’ thumb, they are just practicing wrong. I will post more educational posts about growing house plants, especially African Violets.

-This was Nancy's leaves at her peak maturity.

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You can apply these skills in other things

I know it sounds boring. But listen to the plants, technically look, they show you what you need. Just read the signs. You could apply that to a lot in life. Slow down your racing thoughts, your anxiety. And really pay attention. To your plants, pets, partner, or kids. What do they need? And what are you giving them? Don’t use the black thumb excuse, everyone can grow plants. Everyone can take care of their loved ones. Just open up your mind. And listen.

-This was Nancy when I first got her.

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Empty your cup

Just like the intro quote, you need to empty your cup. Empty your expectations of how things are. Especially if you are getting bad results. Once you empty your cup, your mind will be receptive to new possibilities. We can all learn from each other, and hopefully, you've learned something from me today!

“Make improvements, not excuses"

-Roy T. Bennett and the source

RIP NANCY YOU WILL FOREVER BE REMEMBERED

As always, thanks for listening to my story and me rambling about stuff. I always appreciate every interaction, no matter how small it may be. I love the Hive community and all of you who put effort into making it a good place to be in. Thanks so much!

Have a good one,

♥️ With lots of love @timmy-turnip ♥️

If you've read this far, I would enjoy any follows and will follow back. I want to build a community of love and kindness. We all deserve that.

All images owned and taken by me with either an iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 12 Pro Max