The humble cactus is a resilient reminder that if the day gets tough, draw from your reserves!
Fill up your tank
Cacti have the ability to do what no other plant can – live in some of the driest places on earth. When the rainstorms pour in, the cactus stores up.
Most of the water is drawn into the cactus’s stem, where it can be stowed away for a very long time and the cactus can use this moisture through periods when the sun is so ruthless that the rain is too scared to come.
Like the cactus, there can be tough periods in our lives too. We struggle to see how it will be resolved and get scared that we may not make it through, but what if like the cactus we started storing up lifelines when we have good days.
Drink up!
On good days, I try to take a few moments and write down some of the things that have made me happy that day, ranging from things that made me laugh to something new that I learned. If you’re not one for writing stuff down, try to take a photo to remind yourself of the moment. Then put all these lifelines in a relatively visible place. Don’t hide them away in a cupboard, because tough days tend to come when we don’t expect them.
I’m going to spend some time today to make a CACTUS BOX – I see mine as a box, but you can make a bag or a jar – something that can be put on display for all my scribbles and photos of the things that make me happy. So when the harder days come, I can balance the rough energy out with smiles and giggles whilst I go through my happy reminders (in Feng Shui, the cactus is believed to redirect negative energy and restore balance in the home).
These happy lifelines may not be able to change what you’re going through, but they will be able to change how you respond to it – and that can make the difference between withering away in the drought or blooming because you drank from your reserves.
Wishing you a blooming good day!
Zellie xxx
I do love Cacti, they remind me of the harshness of the Karoo, but also of its unbelievable beauty and color palette. It is wonderful how Cacti “specialize” in survival. Thank you for the post. I see my “gathering of lifelines” as photos and happy bits clipped onto string that is draped onto a hanger with a cactus nearby to infuse everything with wonder and resilience. Thank you for the inspiration xx
So glad you have found inspiration in the Cactus post and I love your idea of photos and other bits clipped onto string. I’ve placed my box on the dining room table, not only does this give me enough space to take things out one-by-one and savour them, but hopefully it will also be a conversation point for some dinners x