Finding Joy in Gardening 🪴

I never really thought I would become someone who gets excited about plants. A few months ago, gardening wasn't something I paid much attention to. I would see people posting pictures of their plants, talking about new leaves, flowers, cuttings, soil, and watering schedules, and honestly, I couldn't understand what was so interesting about it. Then I got my first few plants.
At first, I was just trying to keep them alive. I would check the soil, water them when needed, move the pots around to find a better spot for sunlight, and occasionally search online whenever I noticed something unusual. Slowly, though, I started enjoying it.
There is something strangely satisfying about seeing a tiny new leaf appear.
You don't really notice the growth happening every day. You look at the plant one morning and suddenly realize that there is a new leaf that wasn't there before. When a flower finally opens after days of waiting, it feels like a small achievement, even though I didn't exactly "do" much.
I also started paying more attention to things I had never noticed before. Different types of leaves, how much sunlight a plant needs, how the soil feels when it's too dry, and even how quickly some plants grow compared to others. I have probably spent more time than necessary watching my plants just to see if they look okay. 😂
And of course, gardening isn't always successful.
Some leaves turn yellow. Some cuttings don't grow. Sometimes you water too much, sometimes you forget, and sometimes a plant simply doesn't make it. It's a little disappointing when you have been taking care of something and it still doesn't work out.
But I think that's also part of why I started liking gardening.
It has taught me to be patient. Plants don't grow faster because you keep checking them. You can give them the right soil, enough sunlight, water, and care, but you still have to wait.
I've also realized that gardening gives me a reason to slow down. Instead of constantly being on my phone or thinking about what I need to do next, I can spend a few minutes checking my plants, removing a dry leaf, touching the soil, or just sitting near them.
My balcony has slowly started feeling different because of them. A few pots here and there have turned into something I actually look forward to taking care of.
I still wouldn't call myself an expert gardener. I'm learning as I go, making mistakes, trying again, and getting
unnecessarily excited whenever something new starts growing.
But somewhere along the way, I stopped thinking of gardening as just taking care of plants.
I started loving it. 🌱🤍