Optimist, sunshine, nature, apples, clouds, animals, walking, being me, air-rifle, sketching, music, laughing with friends, reading, living each day to the fullest
'On ne voit bien qu'avec le cœur. L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux.

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Have you grown green beans before?

The last time I did was when I was in primary 3, for a science lesson on how plants react to light.
Well more recently, I started sowing green beans again. Memories..

Partly because I had an empty bird's nest bottle that was too nice to throw it away (I had to do something with it first!), and also to chart my progress through these period of frustration.

I needed something to let me know that everyday was progressing, and that there was something that was clearly growing and progressing at a pace which I could follow. Not saying that my pace is as slow as the growth of a bean plant, but rather, I needed something to slow myself down. A fast-paced life..

It may sound stupid to you, but I do take away many lessons from just watching green beans grow.

1. Beans move. I planted three bean with the hilum facing in different directions; all faced up in the end
2. After two days of neglect as I forget to water the plant, I was surprised to discover that Bean 1 has grown like more than 9cm!
3. My Bean 2 and Bean 3 did not grow. I felt a little sad. Really! I do feel for the bean. To make up for my neglect, I gave it more water and sunlight.
4. I wanted to really watch my bean grow (as in, be there for The Bean!) I felt quite excited and a small sense of joy when I saw a root sprouting from bean 2.
5. Bean 3 remains a little dormant, but when I came back to it in the afternoon. I thought I witnessed the root growing REAL TIME. but, heck how can roots  grow so quickly? You can only see that when you watch it in videos that are fast-fast-forwarded. It turned out to be a worm
6. I was sad that Bean 3 was a bad bean. when three of it was good at the start. To prevent the worm from harming my other two beans and drpriving it from nutrients, that ugly white paracite was removed.
7. I put it outside the dry cemented floor, along the corridors of my house. I wanted to see if worms could survive without water
8. I felt glad that the other two beans were saved.
9. The worm died with the rotten bean. I felt sad for the worm. but, I did not love it.
10. I'm going to chart the progress of bean 1 and 2 until the end of prelims. perhaps I might find something else other than growing beans as my hobby.

Somehow, I could relate this to what i'm going through.
Some people thrive quickly at the start and in conditions that are less comfortable (like bean 1), while others take a longer time to acclimatize, and start growing. (late bloomers)

Not everybody needs close guidance. 

While all three beans looked the same, or came from the same batch initially, they do not turn out the same. As seen in bean 3, which turned out to be worm-eaten. Bean 1, which is flourishing and Bean 2 which is still growing (and its fate is uncertain yet, I must watch!) People, develop at different rates. some bloom earlier, some bloom later. Some don't even bloom to something nice and worthwhile even with love and guidance given to it. What I hope for now, is for the late bloomer will catch up and be on par with bean 1. Hopefully, it might be even better than bean 1.

And, with love and care, surely they will grow to be useful beans, in one way or another :) back to the top?