I have an indoor palm plant that was bought over five years ago from Bangalore airport.
Yes, you read it right.
From the airport.
My parents were visiting us in Bangalore and VT and I had gone to drop them to the airport. After they proceeded to the departure gate, we noticed a small stall with plants for sale. We bought two big ones from that stall and carried them in a public bus to where we live.
One was a small Frangipani (Temple tree) which is no more and the other an indoor variety of palm. It lived in the living room for a few years and then we moved it out to the balcony for sunlight and better care. Parked in a corner, it grows at its own pace and has made enough room for itself. Even when we travel, we don’t have to worry for this one.
Last week, I spotted yellow flowers on it. Small and many in number.
I clicked a few pictures and it was happy to see my old palm bloom
In that moment of joy, I realized how easy it is for us to take things for granted. To notice less and less of what’s in front of us. I noticed many more flowers that had bloomed on this palm that I had never seen. The older ones were black and dried but the new ones were bright and beautiful yellow. To find special things in our days and better days in our lives, we ignore the beauty that surrounds us every single day. In many other forms. Plants or people.
Make an effort to notice and appreciate the small joys that are in front of you.
See if there is a flower blooming in your balcony.
Did someone clean your work desk today? Thank the person.
Did your child pack her school bag for the next day on her own before you reminding her? Appreciate her.
Is there someone who called you to remind you about a meeting you had forgotten? Accept your mistake, thank the person and get to work.
There are many things that go right. We only have to pay attention to what looks ordinary. And you will be able to spot the special in the mundane.
Slightly long post for MicroblogMondays #182 , good for Monday Musings and also a decent shot from my balcony for Mundane Monday #148.
happiness and food 
This is a very good reminder!
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Thank you 🙂
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Wow so good !!
Really people take take things for granted .
Sometimes we feel shy also to say thanku so much .
I remember when ever I cooked some thing very tasty my father in law used to give me 10 rupees (1982_1999 approx ) as a token of appreciation. And I used to wait for his 10 rupees.
Good reminder beta .
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I remember that. ❤️ little joys that mean so
Much today.
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So true, Parul!
Appreciating the little things comes from gratitude, something I have learnt over these past months. To look for and appreciate the little joys that lie in front of us, instead of seeking something bigger but uncertain.
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Yes, staying grateful helps us look at things closely and appreciate little joys. Thank you for adding!
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Thank you for this post. I think we all need reminders to appreciate the little things around us. We also need to let plants (and people) ‘grow at their own pace’ and not write them off too easily or hurry them on either. Those yellow flowers are beautiful.
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So true. Growing that one’s own pace is so important. Thank you for sharing!
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Such a beautiful post and a reminder I certainly needed on Monday/Tuesday! 🙂
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Thank you Deboshree! I’m glad you were able to relate.
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True, there is a lot that we take for granted or see without really seeing at all. So we can’t have enough of these reminders to notice and be grateful for the little things. Thank you for sharing, Parul.
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You are right! Every reminder is helpful. Thank you for stopping by 🙂
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Such a beautiful post, Parul! ❤
I loved the story behind the plant and I can imagine your reaction when you saw those yellow flowers, it must be priceless.
We take so many things for granted in today's busy would. It takes a good heart to spot the special in the mundane.
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Thank you Soumya! Sometimes these realisations hit you when you least expect them.
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such a beautiful post dear… appreciation and gratitude should also be for small things which we usually ignore…
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True. Thank you Nidhi!
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So feel good, Parul. I love your post! How delightful it must have been to see the flowers. We do tend not to notice the little things, not because we don’t want to, but because we’re just too busy sometimes. Thank you for the heart-warming read!
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We are so engrossed with ourselves and more recently technology that we fail to notice these beautiful blessings that surround us. It all boils to being mindful and that’s why there is so much being written about mindfulness.
This is such a happy, feel good post Parul.
Thank you
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Thats a lovely reminder Parul; we do often tend to overlook the smaller things in a pursuit for the bigger ones. The flowers are gorgeous; pls share a pic of the whole plant – I couldnt identify which palm this was
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I will and will let you know. It’s called a palm parlor.
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Spot the special in the mundane…. I loved the title indeed. It speaks volumes in its own sweet way. living in a world where we constanly sulk about almost everthing, I guess we fail to look beyond. And we miss the small things of life. Sigh!!!! Time I changed my attitude
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Loved the tone and message behind your post. I feel happy too whenever I see a flower blooming in one of my plants… Or if they grow an inch taller. These are the little joys that we shouldn’t miss 😊
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Like you, I too often dwell on the little, mundane moments to realise that life is also about acknowledging these random moments and little things around us that give us joy every now and then! Instead of taking things for granted, a grateful heart always learns to appreciate them. Nice reminder and a great thought to begin the week with, Parul.
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Loved this. I’ve dedicated a year to saying “thank you” – my goal is to say thank you (on my blog) 2018 times during the year. Thankful Thursday Week 7
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Temple Plant is new to me. It looks beautiful. You are right. We are missing to notice the magic of many wonderful things in our mundane life. And your post reminded us to be mindful about this. stay blessed, Parul !!!
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So beautiful! I love the photo, and the reminder to always look for the special in the ordinary. You can always find something! Beautiful plant.
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As I was reading, I was struck by the thought – ‘Did the plant have flowers for the first time in so many years’ and there you said it with the black and dried flowers. I couldn’t agree more with you how often we tend to oversee the things (living as well as non-living) around us even though we might be the first ones to notice any changes in the social media sites and scream about them at the top of our voices. As it happens, a post like yours comes in the way of our ignorance urging us to adjust our fulcrum.
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That looks like a plant I have. I must look more closely in case I miss the flowers!
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I’m ready to thank them.But my child needs to be reminded to pack the bag and still expects me to show gratitude LOL! Yes its good to notice the efforts people may put for us ans its our job to say thanks to them 🙂
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Lovely parallel between the plant and our lives, Parul 🙂 A gratitude habit is great for this, I find. Helps us look at the tiny moments of our day and give thanks, even when we think we may have missed it.
May your plant grow and so may your kindness, as always 🙂
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we humans are designed to spot negatives. which is why we always crib, find fault with others…..
I’m happy that you are focusing on positive things around us, even if these are mundane or small.
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Thank you for joining the challenge again though I have added a theme. But I have to be thankful for the smallest support I get, right? So I am still thankful for your support to my blog. 🙂
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Oh! I’m sorry if I missed the theme. I’ll check and join accordingly. Thanks for letting me know.
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Sometimes it is the small unexpected gifts like this plant flowering that make life special don’t you think? Thanks for sharing your little gift. 🙂
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