It's almost Mother's Day. We're honored to celebrate you, the Sole Toscana beauties who are mothers. You're doing fantastic! We're also taking time to appreciate the ever-present, ever-giving, yet often underappreciated Mother Nature. There's so much we can learn from her if we pay attention more often.
Let's look at 11 lessons we can learn from her:
1. Things aren't always as they first appear.
When we look at a pebble, a leaf, or an ant, they might seem unimpressive at first. But as we look deeper and learn more about them, they often turn out to be the most exciting things we have ever seen.
Many times we are quick to judge people before we even understand where they're coming from and what their story is. Aim to practice kindness more, be gentle in your thoughts, and take your time getting to know someone deeper.
2. Multiplicity of roles
You'll be surprised to discover that a plant you've always considered as only fit for potting is also a source of nourishment. Some examples below:
DANDELION
This fluffy, flowering weed is edible. Its leaves, flowers, and roots provide calcium, Vitamins A, and C.
CHICKWEED
Apart from being a ground cover plant in gardens, chickweed leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers are edible. This plant is an excellent source of ascorbic acid, Vitamin A, potassium, calcium, and zinc.
LAVENDER
Lavender smells amazing and has pretty flowers, but there's more. This plant's leaves and flowers are edible and provide lots of iron, calcium, and Vitamin A.
We often believe that we (or other people) are supposed to fit inside a neat box with one label. But Mother Nature shows us that we're so much more than that.
3. Things always happen at the right time.
Mother Nature's timeline seems carefully orchestrated, intricate, and divine. New green shoots appear at the right moment each spring. As soon as autumn begins, trees drop their leaves like clockwork. Flowers bloom when they're ready. This impeccable timing of seasons is why the earth has sustained its cycles of life for millennia. That's why getting impatient about when the seasons will change is a waste of energy. We can't control seasons. Mother Nature ensures everything happens when it's supposed to.
Take a breath, lay off the stress, and be patient. Things will happen at the appointed time.
4. Vulnerability expressed openly is as beautiful as strength.
Some of the most beautiful things in nature are also the most vulnerable. For example, the endangered Yellow Lady Slipper, with its gorgeous, unique yellow flowers, is highly coveted due to its rarity.
What lesson can we pick here? When we're honest about what makes us vulnerable, our natural beauty shines brighter.
5. Embrace change- it's good.
Sometimes change is a source of anxiety when we hold a limited perspective. Looking to Mother Nature, however, reminds us that change happens regularly, and it's essential, not scary. For instance, roses go dormant half the year. Trees put out fruits, which fall and are eaten. And then the rosebush blooms again, and the seeds from the fruit grow into young trees. During times of uncertainty or change, remind yourself that change isn't a scary event—it's natural and positive.
6. Develop deep roots, and you can handle anything.
The secret to a tree's stability isn't its trunk, but the roots. Roots hold the tree to the ground and provide it with vital nutrients and water.
Our "roots" are our inner lives, the part of us that is responsible for how we respond to conflict, what we feed our minds with, and how open we are to others. Putting in the work and developing deep, healthy inner lives helps us thrive and grow in all areas of life.
7. Adaptability will help you navigate hard times.
Many plants have mechanisms that help them to survive drought by conserving water or have adapted to survive in arid conditions (such as the cactus and its waxy, water-storing leaves).
We can find encouragement in nature on how to cope when a situation feels dire. You might not know this, but our ability to adapt is innate. We can find a way to get through anything, if only we pay attention.
8. We need each other to thrive.
Consider a simple food chain. If one vital member of this chain were to disappear, the whole system would likely collapse.
As humans, we also need each other to thrive. We depend on each other not only for our various skills but also for psychological benefits. Studies show that when we lose social connections, we suffer- just as we would without water or food.
9. Humble resilience is underrated.
Grass is a plant that's generally not considered beautiful. It gets trampled every day. Despite this, its blades always spring right back up. It's resilient.
Let's learn from grass and strive to embrace this humble resilience, never staying down for long.
10. Practice selflessness.
Mother Nature is selfless, giving every part of herself for different functions to keep the earth going. She provides shelter, food, and protection for every living thing, without demanding anything in return.
Who have we neglected to help because it might have inconvenienced us? We can do better by embracing the selflessness of Mother Nature.
11. Failure is never permanent- regrowth is always possible.
When forest fires consume acres of a healthy ecosystem as happened recently in Australia, the charred land looks like it'll never recover. But it often does. When the hidden, living parts of the plants underground receive sunlight, they begin the process of regrowth.
There will be times when we feel like we'll never recover from life's hard knocks. But we should remember that below the surface, there's a new start waiting to grow again into the light.
Happy Mother's Day!
With love,
The Sole Toscana Beauty Team