All my childhood I found it difficult to understand my father's anger every time there was damage to his garden. The damage could be from a broken flower to a torn leaf. Many times while playing or due to carelessness me or my brother would break a leaf or two or may be a flower. By evening both of us would be deep inside books before baba can arrive home from office. You can always trust him with his strong sight and observation. Before he can even park his bike he would have already noticed the loss. And inside we already know what's coming... :). Both my brother and I could never guess on how baba noticed such minute details from his set of 150 pots and plants.

God has gifted me with many of my dad's traits and characteristics. One such trait is love for plants. It is impossible to have an expansive garden in a flat terrace. But that never stopped me from having one. And today I know exactly what he felt after seeing those fallen leaf or flowers. It may sound absolutely crazy to people who are not into gardening or nature but the fact is that every plant is as good your own child. The way you nurture your child, the way you feed him with nutritious food so that he can grow up well, the same way you care for your plants. Each and every one of it.

You can actually draw parallels in life. The excitement of reaching the terrace to look how much has your plant grown in the day is so similar to the joy of seeing your child's face, after you go back home from a long day's work.

My husband and I have started enjoying counting the buds the night before that will bloom into flowers the next day. The first thing we want to do the next morning is check out those flowers. And trust me, in this stress full life, it can be a great stress buster. Every morning you are greeted with colors and a blessing for the new day. You thank god for being alive and happy today!