The more attention a plant receives, the better it will grow. 

We need to be noticed in the same way.

If we notice a family member or friend is drooping, perhaps we can pay some special attention to him or her. 

All of us need someone to care about how we are and to truly listen to us.

We can share and double someone's happiness by noticing and talking about it also.

We help the people around us to grow by listening to their droopy edges as well as their bright days. 

People need this as much as plants need light and water. 

Both root systems give life, but when the weather turns stormy and the wind howls through the branches, the maple, with its deeper roots, will hold fast. Though the pine grows faster and needs only surface moisture, it cannot withstand the storm as well.

We often want things immediately. We want to play the piano, but only if we can learn it fast. We want others to love us right away, or we'll give up on them. If something we're doing doesn't go just so right from the start, we give up. 

But the permanent things in life take time to develop. If we want our relationships, our skills, our accomplishments, to resist the storms we all encounter, we must allow time for them to grow and deepen within us, and marvel, in the meantime, at how much we can learn from the world around us.