Good for Me, Good for You.
You're no different than a plant. You are Nature.
Welcome, whether new or familiar to, from the desk of Rachel Leeke!
This newsletter is where I share weekly observations on two important forces in my life: love + travel.
In addition to narratives, I provide tools to support you in creating the confident, loving, and adventurous life you deserve.
Read up on my last newsletter, a poem on acceptance here, or the entirety of my work here.
This week’s post was inspired by a text exchange with
in the comments of her post, “A Story About Quitting My Job to Write.”
I am a bonified plant lady.
Plants bring life to every room and teach me so much about the pace of growth. I know lots of things about their care and well-being, too. Pathos enjoys slightly shaded areas offering indirect sunlight because it mimics the canopy layer of the rainforest, its natural habitat. I know the most efficient way to eliminate those tiny annoying fungus gnats is by sprinkling cinnamon on the soil. And, my recommendation for those with a black thumb but a heart of gold is to get a snake plant, the unbothered diva of the entire plant kingdom, because it needs minimal watering.
While I own many, in my current home, I have precisely zero plants because, like any good (plant) parent, the stability and care of my kids are at the top of my list. After bouncing around the U.S. for the past two years, the maintenance, weight, and sheer number of plants I own are incompatible with the pick-up-and-go lifestyle of my husband and I. We realized this immediately when we planned our first post-assignment move. My plants now take up residence at my mother's house.
There, they are unlikely to be damaged by transport or movement. The tropical sort can receive their scheduled plant food baths uninterruptedly, those with wax leaves get the occasional wipe down with a damp cloth, and most of all, when we're on vacation, I have peace of mind that they are being looked after. I don't have to give a key to a trusted neighbor or rig an ACME-level contraption using a jar of water and buried string to ensure they are being watered.
Each plant's care differs, and providing them with what they need to thrive brings robustness not just to my house but also to my heart.
Humans are a lot like plants. But also, not at all.
Where plants are innately open to receive, humans must choose to do so.
Where plants rotate to face the sun, humans must choose to do so.
Where plants shed to grow, humans, again, must make a choice to do so
Nature's way is slow. It is partial to gradual reveals, like the unfurling of fiddleheads on a riverside fern in the spring. Nature thrives on an internal clock that cannot be rushed by human concepts like time and expectation.
Where nature is slow, American society moves fast. Nature is concerned with growth, while for society, productivity leads the way. Nature centers intuition, while society centers cognition. Nature knows no master, while society thrives on hierarchies. Both share the trait of constant consumption; however, one does so without discrimination, while for the other, discriminatory consumption is the point.
The human need for care is innate. However, our society's design does not address that incredibly delicate balancing act. This is intentional. The purpose of any culture is to organize and guide actions for the benefit of the system—for the benefit of the whole.
American society does not consider your individuality; it only considers your functionality in upholding the dominant customs, structures, and way of life. Quite literally, the cost of sustaining a well life is astounding.* The chances of someone tapping you on the shoulder and asking, "Are you living a life in alignment with your values as an individual?" are slim – but I will.
Be intentional about meeting your needs, however close or far away they fall from the bar set by today's world and culture. It is all too common for one's health, comfort, and safety to fall to a secondary or sometimes tertiary level if not completely removed from one's podium of priorities altogether.
For the individual, plant, and human alike, the repercussions of imbalance are immediate and noticeable. Void of what's necessary to thrive, we wilt and wither. Decline becomes present both inside and out. The difference is that one of us isn't potted and consigned to one place. We have the option to move. We have the option to choose different.
When we embody our fullest, most pleasure-centered selves and prioritize our needs, there's a vigor present similar to a flower in bloom. We become vibrant and give off a current that impacts not only ourselves but all who are privileged to share in our presence. It signals to others that it is okay to create the same for themselves.
So, stand in the sun of your own creation. Allow its heat to keep you warm, its light to guide you through, and its fusion to remind you anything is possible. Enjoy what it feels like to receive exactly what you need to be.
Happy Monday. I believe in you. I am rooting for you.
I love you,
RL
* In consideration of a well life I am pointing to medical, child, and eldercare. In addition to accessing healthy food and water.
(Please be aware some linked articles might be behind a paywall as I support writers and the ability to make a creative living.)
TODAY’S TOOL:
One of my keys to an emotionally well life is reading the works of diverse writers.
created The Cookout Library👋🏿👋🏽👋🏾 to amplify, champion, and celebrate the voices and creativity of Black and Brown Writers. Consider browsing his well-organized labor of love to discover perspectives and pieces that feel like home.
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Your support allows me to share something I love and what others find value in.
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LET ME KNOW:
Do you have a green or black thumb? What’s your favorite plant?
What’s your favorite gardening hack or recommendation?
What’s the sun of your own creation in this season of life?
What’s one change you can make today to live a pleasure-centered existence?
Plants have a place in my heart and my writing. Here’s more on the topic:
-There’s No Place Like Iceland
-Fences as Boundaries
-Pulling weeds in Philly
-Hills, Endurance, and Seasons
It just occurred to me for the first time that when someone says I am rooting for you, it can mean I'll be the roots, holding you down, connecting you to what you need! Amazing!
You’re literally my Little Sister: I am a bonified plant lady. 🪴 I have a ficus that was a plant 30 years ago, now it’s a tree.