When I was in fourth grade, our teacher, Mrs. Crane, used to read to us every afternoon after recess. One afternoon, she read a story called “The Last Leaf” by O. Henry. In the story, a woman named Johnsy is stricken with pneumonia and lies dying in her hospital bed. Her bed faces a window and on the brick wall outside her window is a vine. As the days go by, the leaves start to drop off the vine. Johnsy tells Sue, her best friend, that when the last leaf drops off, she will die. A painter that lives near the hospital finds out about this and during a wicked storm, draws a leaf on the brick building. Johnsy doesn’t die because she thinks the painted leaf is real and regains her will to live. The painter, Mr. Behrman does die, however, because he went out in the storm to paint the leaf. This story both haunts and inspires me. It haunts me because it points out how the will to live is incredibly important. It inspires me because it illustrates, literally, how plants can affect the lives of people.
America in Bloom is a national nonprofit organization that assists in the beautification of our country. It was founded in 2001 and assists communities in improving the overall life of their residents. Their mission statement is “America in Bloom envisions communities across the country as welcoming and vibrant places to live, work, and play – benefitting from colorful plants and trees; enjoying clean environments; celebrating heritage; and planting pride through volunteerism.”
I bring up this organization in conjunction with plants and gardening because they are a tremendous resource for information regarding how plants positively impact our lives. It has been proven over and over that regular contact with nature is vital for health, happiness, and overall well-being. Spending time outside in nature can dramatically improve a person’s quality of life.
These are a few facts from their website:
— Flowers in your garden help to stimulate your senses while reducing stress.
— Flowers indoors are great mood enhancers.
— Plants make our community safer.
— Hospital patients experience accelerated healing not only when exposed to flowers and potted plants, but also when they have views of beautifully landscaped areas around the hospital.
— Gardening is one of the most rewarding forms of exercise for people of all ages.
— Plants have also been shown to improve creativity and improve memory.
Many evenings after dinner, our family takes a walk. My 14 year old daughter inspired us to begin this habit after she pointed out that when she doesn’t want to exercise she just thinks of Newton’s Laws of Motion. Basically they state “A body at rest tends to stay at rest, a body in motion tends to stay in motion.” For her, that is the inspiration she needs. For me, my inspiration is her. If she can exercise so can I. What is your inspiration? I hope that you are able to enjoy the last few months of good weather, by walking or sitting outside and being with nature.
“And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald
